Charley Hull of England earned her third LPGA Tour victory and her first since 2022 when World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul four-putted at the final hole of the Kroger Queen City Championship on Sunday in Hamilton, Ohio.
Hull tapped in for birdie at the par-5 18th hole at TPC River’s Bend after her playing partner from Thailand botched her chance to win outright as well as her shot to forge a playoff.
Hull entered the day with a one-shot lead over Thitikul, but trailed her by one when they reached No. 18. In the end, they both signed for 4-under-par 68s, leaving Hull the winner at 20-under 268.
Both Hull and Thitikul landed on the 18th green in two, and Thitikul lagged her first putt inside 6 feet of the cup. After Hull’s eagle putt missed, Thitikul had a birdie putt to lock up the win but hammered it past the hole.
Thitikul had about 4 feet coming back for par, but it leaked right of the hole.
Once Thitikul cleaned up her bogey, it left Hull with a 2-footer for birdie to pass her playing partner and collect the $300,000 championship check. Hull left the pin in and, once her ball dropped, showed the crowd how her hands were shaking.
“I wasn’t really watching her putt for birdie because I thought she was gonna hole it,” Hull said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “And then, yeah, I guess it’s not over until the fat lady sings, but I was shaking over that last putt because I just didn’t expect it.”
Hull, 29, is ranked eighth in the world but had yet to win a tournament this year. She won a Ladies European Tour event in Riyadh last November and finished runner-up at another LET event in Houston last week.
“It feels pretty good and now I get to go home and see my boyfriend,” she quipped.
Hull had a quiet start until birdieing Nos. 6 through 8. She had a two-shot edge over Thitikul when they made the turn.
However, Thitikul birdied No. 10. After both players birdied the par-5 11th, Hull encountered trouble with her first bogey of the day at No. 13.
At the next hole, Thitikul grabbed the outright lead at 20 under by rolling in a short, left-to-right birdie putt. Hull tied her with a birdie at the par-3 16th but gave it back with a bogey at the next hole.
In third place was 21-year-old English phenom Lottie Woad, who shot her best round of the week, a 66, to soar to 18 under. Woad is looking forward to completing her first half-season as a pro.
“Got a few more events and playing some in Asia so that will be cool. Never really been over there much,” Woad said. “And also just want to be playing in the final Tour Championship, so that’s the aim.”
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita shot 69 and finished fourth at 17 under par. A seven-way tie for fifth at 15 under included World No. 2 Nelly Korda (70).
–Field Level Media
