Thitikul leads LPGA Tour’s Kroger Queen City Championship

MAINEVILLE, Ohio — Jeeno Thitikul had a rocky closing stretch but did enough to expand her lead over Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, finishing with a birdie for a 4-under 68 on Saturday and a two-shot advantage in the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Thitikul holed a 20-footer from the fringe for birdie on the par-4 15th hole to reach 5 under for the day and 17 under for the tournament, four shots ahead of Ko, before dropping shots on the next two holes. She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th at TPC River’s Bend for a 54-hole total of 16-under 200 in hot, dry conditions that caused the golf course to get firmer.

“I have an 8-iron for the second shot into the par 5. I’m just like, ‘How can I have 8-iron on a par 5 and how can I drive like that?'” Thitikul said. “It’s definitely not my length. Just like bouncing or maybe just kick off really well.”

Ko shot 69. Yan Liu (68) was three shots behind, and Albane Valenzuela (68) and Haeran Ryu (70) were four back.

Top-ranked Nelly Korda couldn’t make a charge. She shot 69 and was part of a big group at 10 under.

Thitikul, who’s No. 15 in the women’s world ranking, teamed with Ruoning Yin to the win the Dow Championship this year but doesn’t have an individual victory in nearly two years.

“Every player who chasing for the leaderboard can go really low,” the Thai player said. “If you can make as much as birdie as you can and then just play your game, whatever it takes.”

The third-ranked Ko is trying to extend a dream summer that included her gold medal at the Paris Olympics — that victory got her into the LPGA Hall of Fame — and her third major title in the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.

“I think all in all I’ve been really consistent with my ball-striking,” she said. “The putting has been the most average part of my game this week. I’ve still been able to make crucial putts at the right time. Sometimes when you do give yourself so many opportunities you feel like you’re not putting as well as actually you are, so I was just trying to not get down on myself.”

Valenzuela, from Switzerland, has fared the best among the 11 players who were in the field last week when the United States beat Europe in the Solheim Cup.

“It was such a blessing. Playing in the Solheim was a dream come true and the crowds on Sunday were crazy,” she said. “I think it just actually energized me a ton.”