Lottie Woad wins second LPGA title at Queen City Championship

Lottie Woad has won her second LPGA Tour title at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. The 22-year-old Englishwoman from Surrey finished the tournament at the Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sunday with a final round of 69 strokes (-1) and came out on top with a total score of 268 (-12). Two strokes behind her was Haeran Ryu from South Korea in second place. It was Woad's second success on Tour in just 19 career starts.

Here you can find the leaderboard of the Queen City Championship 2026.

Ryu pushes - Woad responds

The final round was anything but straightforward. Ryu, a three-time LPGA winner, got off to a furious start on Sunday, playing the first nine holes in five under par - a performance that initially melted Woad's three-shot cushion from the previous 54 holes. However, the South Korean conceded a Bogey on hole ten, before a momentous double bogey on the Par-4 13th - caused by a three Putt from close range - meant the decisive setback.

Woad, who herself had to accept a double bogey on hole six and also dropped a shot on hole 13, responded with the most nerve-wracking moment of the day: on the par-4 17th, she sank a birdie putt from around six meters. "Not an easy Putt from the position above the hole, with a lot of break. I'm very happy that it dropped. To be two shots ahead on a Par 3 closing hole - I'm very happy with that," said Woad after the round. On hole 18, the Brit hit the center of the green and played a safe Par - the victory was perfect.

The numbers behind the success

Woad finished the tournament with a total score of 268 strokes (70-64-65-69) and secured prize money of 300,000 US dollars out of the total prize money of two million dollars. Her precise play from tee to green was the Fade of the week: She hit ten out of 14 fairways in each of the last three rounds - a remarkable improvement after a weak opening round with just three fairways hit on Thursday.

With her second win, Woad also made Tour history: she is the fastest player since South Korea's Sung Hyun Park, who won her first two LPGA titles in her first 16 starts in 2017, to win twice in such a short space of time. Woad needed just 19 starts to do it.

"This one is definitely a little sweeter"

In the post-victory press conference, it was clear to Woad how much this triumph meant to her - even more than her first LPGA tournament. "This one is definitely a little bit sweeter than the first one because I didn't really expect it. The first one I didn't realize how strong everyone was out there - so it's nice to win again," Woad said.

The decisive weapon on this windy Sunday? Her Tee-to-Green game. "I played really well from tee to green. I hit a lot of greens, a lot of Fairways. And the wind was pretty strong - I think that was clearly the key to holding the lead," explained the Englishwoman.

Ryu delivers - but remains without a win

Haeran Ryu put in a strong performance throughout the week and led the field with a total of 22 birdies. Her final round of 67 (-3) reflected how close she was to the title - too close to take defeat lightly, but also too convincing to overlook. "Incredible first nine. I was so happy. But on the second nine, unfortunately, I had a little mistake," Ryu said after the round. It was her sixth top 10 result in ten starts this season and her best result of the year.

The rest of the field

Japan's Miyu Yamashita delivered the round of the day: with a 64 (-6), which included four consecutive Birdies on the final holes, the 24-year-old from Osaka climbed to third place (-9). China's Ruoning Yin finished a further shot behind in fourth place (-8, 66). Amanda Doherty from the USA and South Korea's Jin Young Ko shared fifth place with -7 each.

Jeeno Thitikul, world number two and winner of the previous week's tournament in New Jersey, finished the competition in seventh place (-6). The Thai was one of two players to play all four rounds under 70, but proved too inconsistent with the Putter on Sunday (four Birdies, four Bogeys). World number one Nelly Korda moved up eleven places to tied eighth place (-5) with a final 67. However, a weak third round (72, +2) had thrown the American too far back to intervene in the title fight.

The LPGA Tour highlights in the video

From college player to LPGA title winner

Anyone familiar with Lottie Woad's career will understand why this victory is so special. Exactly one year ago, the then Florida State University player was preparing for the NCAA Championship, where she finished second. The leap to the LPGA Tour was made possible by the Tour's LEAP program, which allows college players to enter directly via a points system - without the arduous detour via qualifying school. "I might not be sitting here with two LPGA wins if I hadn't had this program. I probably would have gone to Q-School - and you never know what's going to happen there," said Woad.

Her professional debut in July 2025 could hardly have been more dramatic: Woad won the Women's Scottish Open at her first attempt. As an amateur, she had already won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2024 and held the top position in the world amateur rankings. The victory in Cincinnati is now her first title on American soil - and her first in the USA since settling in as a full-time professional.

Crooked Putter grip, big comeback

The fact that Woad performed so confidently on the greens this week is also a story about setbacks and responsiveness. The previous week at the Mizuho Americas Open, she clearly missed the cut with rounds of 80 and 77 - an experience that she says left her frustrated. In her search for the mistake, she found it in an unusual place: Her Putter grip was crooked. "I changed the Putter grip so that it was straight again and it sat better in my hands. I also spent all of last weekend putting. I just stayed in New Jersey and practiced there," explained Woad. The investment in the basics paid off.

Outlook: U.S. Women's Open and Solheim Cup

Woad will now continue without much of a break. The U.S. Women's Open at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles is scheduled for the beginning of June - one of the most prestigious majors in women's golf. The 2026 Solheim Cup, which will be held in Europe this year, is also a declared goal: "If you simply play good golf, you'll be on the team. That's what I tell myself. I hope to make the team - and to make my debut in Europe would be very special," said Woad.

Ryu will first travel to Korea after finishing runner-up, before also competing in the U.S. Women's Open - in a form that will make her a serious title contender there.