Staff WriterThe Kroger Queen City Championship is shaping up to be a thriller, and it’s Chanettee Wannasaen who finds herself staring down the field at 13-under after two rounds. With a second-round 68, the Thai star clung to her lead at TPC River’s Bend, mixing brilliance with just enough blemishes to keep things interesting.
Wannasaen’s round included three birdies, one lonely bogey—her first of the week—and a spectacular hole-out eagle on No. 13. She’s now hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation, ranking inside the top 10 in the field, and her two-day total of 131 ties her career low. The last time she opened with this kind of firepower, she won the 2024 Dana Open.
“Today is really enjoy,” Wannasaen said after her round. “Like because I play like so lucky, like a lot of like eagle and chip-in and made the long putt. I think it’s so lucky… But this week really enjoy because I can play well like what I think what I want.”
The Chase Pack
Breathing down her neck are three heavy hitters: Jeeno Thitikul, Charley Hull, and Olivia Cowan, all at 11-under.
Thitikul, who finished runner-up here last year, was bogey-free and ruthless, rolling in eight birdies—six of them on the back nine. It marked her 10th bogey-free round of the season.
“Nothing,” she said when asked what goes through her mind during birdie streaks. “Pretty much I think I trying to make putts for sure here… Otherwise other two I just make putts.”
Hull, the English firebrand, also signed for a 65. She had six birdies, one bogey, and chipped in for eagle on No. 11. It was her seventh straight made cut, though her ankle isn’t exactly thanking her.
“Yeah, today was actually the first day it feels pretty sore, but it’s going to be,” she admitted.
Cowan matched Hull’s 65, going bogey-free and surgical with her irons. She hit every fairway, every green on the back nine, and 16 of 18 greens overall. “To be honest, just focusing on every shot as comes,” she said.
“Obviously the course is quite tricky. The greens are very undulated and kind of need to hit them in certain spots. So just putting them in the right places and giving myself chances.”
Lurking at 10-Under
A three-way tie for fifth sees Sei Young Kim, Gigi Stoll, and Maja Stark all making noise. Each of them has piled up 13 birdies through two rounds—second only in the field.
Kim, who’s finished top-10 in three of her last four starts, isn’t intimidated by this event. “Yeah, from the second shot I miss it a little, push it… I got the good luck from there,” she said after a crafty flop shot at 18.
Stoll, who missed the cut here last season, is now back in contention after making seven birdies on Friday. “Yeah, we have a couple par-5s that are reachable… I think there is going to be a lot of low scoring on the par-5s this whole week,” she said.
Stark, meanwhile, delivered her best round since February with a 66, showing signs of her U.S. Women’s Open-winning form.
Defending Champ Fading
Defending champion Lydia Ko has ground to make up at 5-under. A double-bogey in her second round has her chasing rather than leading this time around.
The cut line fell at 2-under, with 77 players advancing. Fiona Xu and Karis Davidson both withdrew due to illness, while Lauren Morris pulled out before her opening round with injury.
What It Means
For Wannasaen, the Kroger Queen City Championship represents more than a 36-hole lead—it’s a chance to rediscover her joy in the game after a rocky summer.
Ranked No. 40 in the Rolex Rankings, she’s already banked over $1.3 million this season, highlighted by a runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
With two career LPGA victories under her belt, another win this week would vault her into the game’s upper tier.
And if the opening salvos are anything to go by, the weekend in Cincinnati won’t be short on fireworks.
