Kroger Queen City Championship 2026 Betting Tips: 275/1 shot one of five for Ohio

In the absence of world No. 1 Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul re-energised her season at the Mizuho Americas Open last week, cruising to a four-shot victory in a successful title defence at Mountain Ridge Country Club.

Sharing the last three events between them, the world’s top two players are both in action once again, as the LPGA heads to Maketewah Country Club in Ohio for the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Our LPGA golf expert Jamie Worsley is back with his usual long-read preview for the tournament. Check out his Kroger Queen City Championship 2026 Betting Tips below, where he has picked out five players, ranging from 40/1 to a huge 275/1...

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You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Kroger Queen City Championship 2026 Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Kroger Queen City Championship debuted on the LPGA in 2022 at Kenwood Country Club. It was also played there in 2023 before moving to TPC River’s Bend in 2024, and the event shifts again this year as Maketewah Country Club hosts for the first time.

In addition, the event has been moved from its September time slot to this May position, with the Solheim Cup taking precedence at that time of the year.

Tournament winners:

• 2025 (TPC River’s Bend)

Winner: Charley Hull (-20)

Runner-up: Jeeno Thitikul (-19)

• 2024 (TPC River’s Bend)

Winner: Lydia Ko (-23)

Runner-up: Jeeno Thitikul (-18)

• 2023 (Kenwood Country Club)

Winner: Minjee Lee (-16, playoff)

Runner-up: Charley Hull (-16)

• 2022 (Kenwood Country Club)

Winner: Ally Ewing (-22)

Runner-up: Xiyu Lin (-21)

Charley Hull ended her three-year wait for an LPGA title in last year’s edition, converting a 54-hole lead to beat Jeeno Thitikul – who was also 2^nd in 2024 – in a closely-fought contest. She returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Maketewah Country Club

• Original architect / Year opened: Tom Bendelow / 1911
• Latest renovation: Donald Ross completely redesigned the layout in 1921; Brian Silva completed a restoration from 2012-2023
• Par / Yardage: Par 70 / 6,423 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 4x par 3s (145-217 yards)
  • 12x par 4s (335-440 yards)
  • 2x par 5s (500-515 yards)
• Course style: A strategic, dramatically rolling parkland with frequent elevation changes and a ravine that winds its way around the property
• Fairways:
  • The fairways are reasonably narrow, featuring some sharp doglegs
  • Extremely sloping, uneven lies are common
  • They’re protected by smartly-positioned bunkers and three-inch-thick fescue/ryegrass rough
  • With most holes built along natural ridges, inaccuracy off the tee will result in challenging approaches into the angled greens
• Greens:
  • Bentgrass/poa putting surfaces are average in size overall and heavily contoured
  • They’re largely elevated and crowned, often leaving shots from below the level of green when missed
  • With thick rough, well-placed bunkers and some tightly-mown chipping areas, the demands around the greens are high
• Defences:
  • Several out-of-bounds areas litter the perimeter of the layout
  • When firm and fast, this strongly undulating course puts a premium on the long game
  • The classic Donald Ross greens have all of the usual nuances and intricacies that make them so tricky to putt

Routed beautifully across hilly terrain, Maketewah Country Club is a finely conditioned venue, where precision and intelligent course management are essential.

Wayward ball striking is likely to be severely punished, and if the weather allows it to firm up, players will have to exercise patience to walk away with the title in Ohio.

THE WEATHER

Light rain on Wednesday alongside thunderstorms from Friday to Sunday means we could be in for a wet week in Cincinnati. That should take some fire out of the course, and with moderate 11mph winds (gusting at up to 20mph) scheduled for much of the week, conditions look set to play their part at Maketewah.

KEY STATS

SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)

SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) and/or Driving Accuracy

SG: Putting (bentgrass or bentgrass/poa)

Par 4 Scoring

With so much trouble lurking beyond the fairways and around the greens, a top-class, accurate ball-striking display looks vital this week. As always on Donald Ross layouts, finding the correct spots of the greens to avoid treacherous downhill putts will be key.

Those proven on greens that use bentgrass or a bentgrass/poa mix are of interest. In addition, the higher amount of par 4s means scoring on those holes will be extra important.

CORRELATING EVENTS

This is a brand new course to LPGA audiences but last week’s Mizuho Americas Open should act as a good guide, played on another hilly Donald Ross design: Mountain Ridge Country Club.

That architect angle can be explored further with The ANNIKA at Pelican Golf Club, the Shoprite Classic at Seaview’s Bay Course, and the 2024 Drive On Championship/2025 Founders Cup at Bradenton Country Club.

There are a few other courses that share similarities, but the one I like most is the Evian Resort, which stages the Evian Championship. With its narrow, sloping fairways, striking elevation changes, and average-sized bentgrass/poa greens, it looks a standout comp for Maketewah.

THE FIELD

World No. 1 Nelly Korda returns to action after taking last week off and is one of 20 players from inside the top 25, which includes No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul.

Charley Hull returns as the defending champion. Meanwhile, 2024 winner Lydia Ko is also in attendance.

With back-to-back runner-up finishes in her last two appearances, Ruoning Yin will be hoping to go one better. Miyu Yamashita, Lottie Woad and Sei Young Kim add further depth to this strong field.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Nelly Korda 11/4, Jeeno Thitikul 9/1, Ruoning Yin 11/1, Lydia Ko 20/1, Miyu Yamashita 20/1, Haeran Ryu 22/1

1.25 pts Lottie Woad each-way (1/5 - 5 places) @ 40/1

After missing her first cut of the season at the Mizuho Americas Open, I’m taking England’s Lottie Woad to bounce back immediately in Ohio. Precise ball striking is absolutely key to her game and, having finished 3^rd at the Evian Championship as an amateur in 2025, she should be ready to tackle this layout.

Woad began the year with three straight top-20s and had only finished outside the top 40 once prior to last week. Her first top-10 came courtesy of a 7^th-place finish at the Tournament of Champions – a result she equalled two starts ago at our first major of the year, the Chevron Championship.

She ranks 12^th on tour in SG: T2G and has particularly excelled with her irons, sitting 6^th in GIR and 22^nd in SG: Approach. A top-25 placing in par-4 scoring is another plus and she’s also reliable off the tee, ranking 42^nd.

The putter is a concern, but she seemed to manage just fine on similar surfaces in last year’s Evian Championship, helping her to a 3^rd-place finish. Woad was also 3^rd at this event in 2025 and, if able to put last week’s disappointing result to the back of her mind, she can contend once again.

1 pt Mao Saigo each-way (1/5 - 5 places) @ 60/1

It’s been a slow start to the 2026 campaign for Mao Saigo, though an 18^th-place finish in New Jersey offers renewed promise. That was a result driven by a strong short-game display, and with some handy comp form to her name, she’s primed to challenge.

Saigo was looking sharp at the end of a 2025 season that saw her make a major breakthrough at the Chevron Championship. That didn’t quite carry over into this year, picking up just the one top-25 finish in six appearances, but she showed much more encouragement at Mountain Ridge Country Club to finish 18^th.

The Japanese star ranked 11^th in SG: T2G there and despite the putter failing to fire as yet in 2026, it is a club in which she’s typically sound. She’s shone most with her irons since stepping up to the LPGA, ranking 11^th in SG: Approach in 2024 and 22^nd in 2025, and as a top-50 performer in GIR and driving accuracy, she has the precision required around here.

Saigo hasn’t pulled up any trees in this event as yet, but with a 3^rd-place finish at the Evian Championship in 2022 sitting alongside a 5^th at the Shoprite Classic last year, I expect her to correct that at Maketewah.

1 pt Rose Zhang each-way (1/5 - 5 places) @ 66/1

Although her results don’t necessarily reflect it, Rose Zhang has been playing some sneakily decent golf in 2026. Her top-25 at the Mizuho Americas Open was engineered by quality ball striking, and with her accuracy a major asset, I’m sure she can build on it in Cincinnati.

Beginning the season with a 9^th-place finish at the Tournament of Champions, Zhang doubled her top-10 tally just two starts later when again 9^th at the Ford Championship. She missed two of her next three cuts following that, but signs were much more promising last week, as she improved by six shots over the weekend to finish 25^th.

Ranking 8^th in GIR, 10^th in driving accuracy and 15^th in SG: Approach, her long game was in excellent shape there. Indeed, that has been a theme throughout the season, which the numbers back up in eye-catching fashion. She currently sits 9^th in driving accuracy, 10^th in SG: Approach, 17^th in GIR and 28^th in SG: OTT, showcasing a skillset that is an ideal match for this week’s demands.

Zhang’s case is strengthened by results of 5^th at The ANNIKA and 9^th at the Evian Championship, and for a player who looks close to playing some quality golf, she’s an appealing price to win a third LPGA title.

0.75 pts Andrea Lee each-way (1/5 - 5 places) @ 90/1

Andrea Lee’s ball striking has been of a high standard in 2026, she’s just struggled to get anything going on the greens. She did show positive signs in this regard last week and, having thrived on these types of layouts throughout her career, I’m confident she has the game to handle this course.

Lee was quick out of the blocks this season, finishing 14^th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and 10^th at the HSBC Women’s World Championship on her two appearances in East Asia. She then looked solid when returning to the U.S, producing a top-25 at the Aramco Championship. Two missed cuts followed that, and whilst she arrives after a 56^th-place finish at the Mizuho Americas Open, she did open with a 66 to take the lead on Thursday.

Her top-25 display on the greens there was hugely encouraging considering she ranks 83^rd in that area for the season. When this is combined with her elite precision with the long game – with rankings of 1^st in driving accuracy, 7^th in GIR and 15^th in SG: Approach – she appears close to putting it all together.

Lee has a decent record at the Evian Championship, recording a 5^th-place finish last year, and she’s also posted a top-10 at Bradenton. Moreover, considering that her standout major performance came at Lancaster Country Club – a hilly course with narrow, doglegging fairways, dramatic elevation changes and sloping bentgrass greens – at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, this venue should be right in her wheelhouse.

0.5 pts Narin An each-way (1/5 - 5 places) @ 275/1

1 pt Narin An Top 10 @ 16/1

I’m going to take a chance on Narin An at huge odds as my final selection. Few players are hitting the ball as straight as the Korean in 2026 and, as someone who typically excels on rolling parkland courses, this looks the perfect spot for her to contend for an LPGA breakthrough.

An’s belated seasonal reappearance came at the Founders Cup, where she understandably missed the cut. However, she has responded positively in four starts since, claiming three top-30s, which includes a 25^th-place finish at last week’s Mizuho Americas Open.

She was joint-1^st in driving accuracy there and ended the week inside the top 20 in GIR – areas in which she sits 3^rd and 8^th for the season overall. Furthermore, rankings of 27^th in SG: OTT and 38^th in SG: Approach are a significant upgrade on her numbers from 2025 (111^th in SG: OTT and 90^th in SG: Approach).

Placing 6^th at the 2024 Shoprite Classic, An has form on another Donald Ross course at Seaview. She also finished 12^th at the Evian Championship that same year, and with her best results at this level coming with top-five finishes in events such as the Portland Classic and Meijer LPGA Classic, this type of classic parkland test is what suits her best.

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