CINCINNATI — An LPGA tournament that has seen a lot of success in southwest Ohio is changing venues but is sticking around for a few more years.
What You Need To Know
- The Queen City Championship will remain in Cincinnati through 2026, tournament organizers and sponsors announced Friday
- The tournament will be held at TPC River's Bend
- 144 of the best players in the world will begin play starting Sept. 19
- The event is expected to have a $40 million impact on the area
In just about a month’s time, the world’s best women’s golfers will be in southwestern Ohio at TPC River’s Bend at Kroger’s Queen City Championship presented by P&G. And they just announced it will be here for another three years.
It was an announcement everyone was cheering about as Kroger and P&G announced that they signed on to extend their sponsorships of the tournament, making a $40 million impact on the region.
“It really just solidifies Ohio and attracting the world’s best golfers," Emily Norell, the tournament's director, said.
And the LPGA tournament was in a bit of limbo with its previous venue, the Kenwood Country Club, under renovations, as well as it being the last year of the tournament’s contract. But for this course, they’re no stranger to hosting the best.
“It just seemed like a natural fit," TPC River's Bend general manager Michell Lipka said. "I know the intent was maybe to have it closer to the city of Cincinnati. But after further research they just realized this was the place to be.”
The tournament will host 144 women’s players, in what organizers are calling the most competitive field to date. One of those players is 16-year-old Gianna Clemente, an Ohio native who qualified for the first Queen City Championship in 2022 as a 14-year-old.
“I very vividly remember people actually knowing who I was from the crowd," Clemente said. "And there was a pretty big crowd watching my group the first two days of the tournament. So I definitely wasn’t expecting that, so that will be fun if that happens again.”
The fan experience will be more immersive too, with a fan zone, improved concessions and more.
“It really caters to the fans," Norell said. "Like we’ve all mentioned, it is about the competition inside the ropes, but it’s also about this community. And we really want to bring as many folks out here as we can.”
The tournament begins on Thursday, Sept. 19. Click here for information on how to buy tickets.