Charley Hull Secures Kroger Queen City Championship After World No.1 Jeeno Thitikul's Four-Putt Collapse

Charley Hull has claimed her third LGPA Tour title in extraordinary circumstances at the Kroger Queen City Championship.

She had appeared set for disappointment, with Jeeno Thitikul looking a near certainty for victory with the pair on the green of the 72^nd hole at TPC River's Bend.

With a one-shot lead, the Thai star made the green of the par five in two, before a putt for eagle got her to within six feet of victory as she seemed destined to complete the formalities.

However, usually so confident with her putter, the World No.1’s birdie attempt instead missed left. Crucially, though, it also had far too much speed on it as it sailed past the target.

Even then, making a par would still ask a serious question of Hull, who would need to complete her birdie putt to force a playoff.

With a putt of a couple of feet coming back, few would have expected Thitikul to miss again, but from the moment she struck the ball, it looked off. Sure enough, it missed right, leaving her having to settle for bogey.

All of a sudden, from resigning herself to defeat, Hull had victory in her grasp.

The Englishwoman still had a few feet to go to wrap up the win, and the nerves were clearly in play as her ball rattled the back of the cup before bringing an end to the drama with her shocked opponent looking on.

At the start of the day, Hull held a one-shot lead over Thitikul, and that had become two by the turn, helped by a run of three successive birdies between the sixth and the eighth.

However, Thitikul’s class shone with successive birdies of her own at the 10^th and the 11^th to reduce the gap to one, with Hull only able to birdie the latter.

The first bogey of Hull’s day followed at the 13^th, drawing the pair level, and when Thitikul birdied the 14^th, she had the outright lead for the first time in the round.

Hull hit back at the 16^th with her fifth birdie to rejoin Thitikul at the top of the leaderboard on 20 under, but another bogey at the 17^th gave her opponent the advantage – until the late drama on the 18^th green swung events decisively back in Hull’s favor.

Following her first LPGA Tour title since the 2022 Volunteers of America Classic, Hull admitted her chance to claim victory had been unexpected, saying: “I just thought I had to make the eagle to be fair.

“I wasn't really watching her putt for birdie because I thought she was going to hole it. 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. But, yeah, feels pretty good.”

Further back, Lottie Woad produced a final round of 66 to place third, with Miyu Yamashita, who beat Hull at the AIG Women’s Open, in fourth.

Nelly Korda, still looking for her first win of the season, endured a frustrating back nine, including three successive bogeys, as she had to settle for T5 along with six others.