Summary
MAINEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Charley Hull won the Kroger Queen City Championship by taking advantage of Jeeno Thitikul’s error on the final hole. Thitikul, who led by one stroke after Hull’s bogey on the par-4 17th, misfired on her putt on the par-5 18th, four-putting from about 50 feet, missing a 5-foot putt and a 3-foot putt.
For her part, Hull two-putted from about 30 feet, sinking a 2-foot putt for the victory. “I wasn’t paying much attention to her birdie putt because I thought she was going to make it,” Hull said. “I guess you can’t take it for granted until the final call, but I was nervous on that last putt because I wasn’t expecting it.”
Despite dealing with ankle and back issues, Hull closed with a four-under 68, finishing with a 20-under 268 at TPC River's Bend. The 29-year-old English player thus claimed her third LPGA Tour title, her first since 2022, and has now won four on the Ladies European Tour.
Key details
“I tore my ankle ligament at a golf event the week after the British Open. They told me I could be out for up to nine weeks. I thought, 'Wow!' But I got it back in three weeks and played last week. I also had an MRI on my back because I hurt myself lifting a box a couple of months before Evian, and I think I hurt something in my back because it wasn't getting better,” Hull explained.
Thitikul, who tied Hull with a 68, had been the winner in May at Liberty National but missed out on becoming the first player to win multiple titles this season. Lottie Woad of England finished third at 18 under after a 66. Miyu Yamashita finished at 17 under (69), while second-place Nelly Korda (70) finished at 15 under, along with Nasa Hataoka (65), Chisato Iwai (71), Sei Young Kim (69), Jennifer Kupcho (67), Mary Liu (70) and Maja Stark (69).
Hull came into this tournament off a second-place finish in Houston the week before, as part of the European Tour's Aramco Series. “It's been a rough couple of months,” Hull reflected. “Fainting in Evian, hurting my back, and tearing my ankle ligament. It sounds like a car crash. I think the pain is just mental weakness. Sometimes it benefits me because I end up doing too much, training too much, and overthinking. It's given me time to relax, and that's probably what I needed.”
Statements and context
The player worked hard to regain her game. “I’ve been training intensively at home after having 14 days off due to my injury, and last week I was hitting a lot of golf balls and practicing hard,” Hull said. “Hard work pays off, and it has, and I feel good right now.”
