Wannasaen’s Roar Lifts Queen City, as Contenders Crowd the Chase

Image Credit: LPGA/Getty

The Kroger Queen City Championship needed a spark to start its week in Maineville, and Chanettee Wannasaen lit the fuse. Under a warming Ohio sun at TPC River’s Bend, the 24-year-old Thai found the swing she had lost for months and rode it to a dazzling 9-under 63 — tying the course record and seizing the first-round lead with the kind of golf that makes the rest of the field glance nervously at the scoreboard.

For weeks, Wannasaen has admitted she could barely feel her swing. Evian, Portland, Canada, Boston — she rattled them off like a laundry list of frustration. “I just feel like I cannot hit the ball; really cannot hit the ball,” she said, blunt in a way only a player searching for answers can be. Confidence vanished. Practice felt empty. Even her coach back home in Chiang Mai, Ohn, could only do so much through video clips.

But golf often turns on something small, almost accidental. For Wannasaen, it was a casual correction from a fellow Thai, Jan, who noticed her stance was too wide, her feet angled wrong. “She just told me, can you come close,” Wannasaen recalled. A hint, a tweak, a reminder. Add in a caddie who reinforced it each morning with alignment sticks, and suddenly her game wasn’t a mystery — it was a weapon again.

The proof came at the 10th hole, where she holed a 9-iron for eagle. “Perfect shot,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to roll to the pin.” But it did, and the crowd erupted. By then, Wannasaen’s day was rolling, every drive finding a fairway, every putt dropping with conviction. After weeks of “I don’t know how to fix it,” she finally looked like a player who knows exactly what she’s doing.

Behind her, the chasers lined up in bunches. Gigi Stoll, newly engaged and finally translating off-course happiness into birdies, poured in putts en route to a 7-under 65. “Today a lot of putts fell for me,” she said, relief spilling out after a season of near-misses. “Bad golf doesn’t define who I am. It’s always in there.” She sounded like a player who just needed a day like this to remember.

One shot further back, the veteran trio of Jenny Bae, Sei Young Kim, and Peiyun Chien each posted 66. Bae, still a rookie, called it her most confident round of the year. She eagled her final hole, a 17-foot putt that felt like the exclamation point on her growing comfort in big-league golf. Kim, meanwhile, relied on laser-sharp irons, calling the fairways “drier, so I just got to the pins I like.” And Chien, fighting nerves and the pressure of trying to lock in her Asia swing spot, reminded herself to breathe. “This time I just try to be a good student,” she laughed, crediting her caddie for talking her into simplicity.

The supporting cast was equally dangerous. Gabriela Ruffels fired 67 despite a messy double bogey at the ninth. “Seven birdies — that’s what you have to do out here,” she said, shrugging off the mistake. Nelly Korda had her own rollercoaster start — a chunked wedge, a plugged bunker lie, and still she walked off the course smiling at 4-under. “That’s golf,” she said. “Just stay patient.”

Charley Hull opened fast, faded late, but still signed for 68 and a grin. Mao Saigo rattled off four birdies in a five-hole stretch, her iron play sparkling. Bianca Pagdanganan, the Tour’s power hitter, looked almost serene as she plotted her way to 68. “This course fits my eye,” she said simply, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who might climb higher yet.

And then there were the conditions — soft, receptive, and begging for aggression. Players spoke of attacking par-5s, of wedges that sat down on command. It wasn’t last year’s firm test. This year’s River’s Bend is all about red numbers. “The scores are going to be low,” Korda said, matter-of-fact.

Which makes Wannasaen’s nine-under not just brilliant but essential. She knows the field behind her isn’t going away. Kim has trophies on every continent. Korda is No. 1 for a reason. Ruffels is too steady, Hull too fiery, Pagdanganan too fearless to let Thursday’s leaderboard freeze in place.

That’s the beauty of this championship. It isn’t just about one round — it’s about whether Wannasaen’s rediscovered swing holds up under the weight of three more days, the roars of a weekend gallery, and the pressure of being chased by the very best.

For now, though, her smile said everything. The swing felt right. The ball went where it should. The record book added her name. And for a day at least, Chanettee Wannasaen looked like the player she always believed she could be.

Round 1 Leaderboard – Queen City Championship

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Quotes and scores are sourced from the LPGA and ASAP Sports.