Image Credit: LPGA/ Getty
The third round of the Kroger Queen City Championship felt less like a Saturday stroll and more like a prize fight where every contender kept answering the bell. The fairways of TPC River’s Bend turned into a proving ground, and one after another, the tournament’s biggest names delivered haymakers.
From Yealimi Noh’s resurgence to Nelly Korda’s dagger eagle on 18, from Charley Hull’s carefree precision to Bianca Pagdanganan’s tap-in symphony, and from Miyu Yamashita’s textbook control to Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul’s fearless driving, moving day didn’t just shuffle the leaderboard — it set up a Sunday that promises to be one of the most electric finishes of the LPGA season.
Yealimi Noh: Rediscovering Her Spark
For months, Yealimi Noh had been battling herself. Missed cuts, streaky putting, and the quiet frustration of watching others surge while her game sputtered. Saturday was different. It was, in her words, “everything falling into place.”
Her round was punctuated by a series of precision approaches that landed inside ten feet. On the par-4 7th, she stiffed a 7-iron to just over a foot, tapping in for birdie. On the back nine, her putter caught fire, rolling in a 25-footer on the 13th that sent a ripple through the crowd.
Noh admitted afterward that simply making the cut freed her up: “Obviously making the cut yesterday gave me a lot more freedom to play well today and just let everything fall into place.” The weight seemed gone. By the time she signed her card, she looked like the player who won the Founders Cup — confident, dangerous, and ready to climb.
Nelly Korda: An Eagle That Echoed
Nelly Korda has always thrived in the hunt. Saturday, she reminded everyone why. Her front nine was quiet — pars and missed chances, including a mis-hit chip on the 8th that forced a scrambling par. But champions don’t linger on miscues; they bide their time.
The back nine turned into Korda’s stage. She hit wedges to a foot on both the 11th and 12th, knocking in tap-in birdies. A bogey on 13 could have derailed the momentum, but she steadied herself. And then came the closer: the par-5 18th.
Facing 201 yards from a sidehill lie, wind off the right, she pulled a 5-iron and feathered it with just enough fade to land soft. “Didn’t really want to rip a 6-iron, so I kind of faded a 5-iron in there,” she said. The ball stopped 15 feet away, and when she buried the eagle putt on the lightning-fast downhill line, the gallery erupted.
It was the kind of moment that doesn’t just move you up the board — it sends a message. Korda is two back, and she’s hunting. “There is nothing better than being in the hunt contention and feeling that adrenaline,” she said, eyes glinting.
Charley Hull: Steady, Simple, and Dangerous
There’s no player in golf quite like Charley Hull. She doesn’t overanalyze, doesn’t let the stakes rattle her. “It’s just a game. Hit a white ball at the pin. Make a birdie or make a par, make a bogey, whatever, just roll on to the next hole,” she shrugged.
But don’t mistake her simplicity for lack of firepower. Hull played another mistake-free, measured round. She threaded drives on the tight doglegs, leaned into her crisp irons, and when she needed to, she attacked pins with fearless conviction.
Her finishing birdie at 18 was clinical — a dart to eight feet, calmly rolled in. She’s been on a tear, fresh off a T2 last week, and she knows how to chase. She laughed afterward about her evening plans — fish tacos — but behind the humor sits a competitor who smells a win.
Miyu Yamashita: Precision From the East
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita is soft-spoken, but her game made a loud statement. She opened her round with four birdies in her first seven holes, her ball-striking sharp and her pace unflappable. Even when she faced tricky lies and “saturated greens,” she adjusted, controlling trajectory and spin.
Her 6-under 66 vaulted her into contention at 14-under. Yet Yamashita’s focus wasn’t on the leaderboard, but on execution. “I will focus on my shot and my score,” she said simply. On a course that demands creativity, Yamashita’s ability to manage spin and shape shots might be the quiet edge on Sunday.
Bianca Pagdanganan: Power With Finesse
If Yamashita is all about control, Bianca Pagdanganan is all about controlled aggression. She hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation, a bogey-free card built on fairways found and birdies that barely required a read. “A lot of my birdies were pretty much tap-ins,” she said, almost surprised at the ease.
Her power off the tee remains her calling card, and this week, she’s let the “big dog eat.” “My driver has been feeling pretty good,” she said. “Honestly, that goes with all my clubs. It’s been fun having the driver out of the bag.”
Pagdanganan has been searching for a breakthrough moment. Saturday, she looked like a player who believes the only way is through. “If I just keep putting myself in good positions eventually you’ll break through,” she said. Sunday may be that day.
Jeeno Thitikul: The Driver and the Dream
Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul didn’t have her best putting round. She admitted as much: “No. Me,” she said with a smile when asked what was wrong with the putter. Yet even without the flat stick cooperating, she carved out birdies where she needed them — particularly on par-5s, where her length gave her chances others didn’t have.
“I pretty much [was] hitting the driver a lot because I love hitting driver anyway,” she said. That aggression kept her in second at 15-under, just one shot back of Hull. She knows what’s required: “If you really want to win, you have to make birdies.” With one victory already in hand this season, Jeeno’s comfort in contention is a weapon all its own.
Leaderboard – After Round 3
| Pos | Player | To Par | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charley Hull | –16 | 68 | 65 | 67 | 200 |
| 2 | Jeeno Thitikul | –15 | 69 | 64 | 68 | 201 |
| T3 | Miyu Yamashita | –14 | 69 | 67 | 66 | 202 |
| T3 | Chisato Iwai | –14 | 70 | 66 | 66 | 202 |
| T5 | Yealimi Noh | –13 | 69 | 70 | 64 | 203 |
| T5 | Bianca Pagdanganan | –13 | 67 | 70 | 66 | 203 |
| T5 | Nelly Korda | –13 | 67 | 68 | 68 | 203 |
| T5 | Mary Liu | –13 | 69 | 66 | 68 | 203 |
| T9 | Gabriela Ruffels | –12 | 67 | 70 | 67 | 204 |
| T9 | Lottie Woad | –12 | 68 | 67 | 69 | 204 |
| T9 | Maja Stark | –12 | 68 | 66 | 70 | 204 |
| T9 | Sei Young Kim | –12 | 66 | 68 | 70 | 204 |
| T9 | Olivia Cowan | –12 | 68 | 65 | 71 | 204 |
The Sunday Script
Saturday revealed the layers of this championship. A rejuvenated Noh, a surging Korda, a fearless Hull, a meticulous Yamashita, a hungry Pagdanganan, and a relentless Thitikul. Each has a different path to the trophy, and each brings a different style of golf to the duel.
What makes Sunday even more compelling is the history on the line: the possibility of seeing the first two-time winner on the LPGA this season. With so many one-off champions in 2025, a repeat winner would not only mark a milestone but also serve as a statement of dominance in what has been a wide-open year.
On a gettable course where momentum swings like a pendulum, Sunday won’t be about avoiding mistakes — it will be about seizing the moment. Someone will have to step up, stare down the leaderboard, and hit the shot of the tournament.
The Queen City Championship has built to a crescendo. Sunday will decide who wears the crown.
Disclaimer: This article is an independent sports commentary and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the LPGA, Kroger, P&G, or TPC River’s Bend. All quotes are sourced from official press conference transcripts.
