World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States and World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand have competed head-to-head in five tournaments this year. Korda has dominated every meeting, winning twice and finishing as runner-up three times. Korda added another victory at the Riviera Maya Open in Mexico, which Thitikul skipped, while Thitikul captured two wins at the Honda LPGA Thailand and the Mizuho Americas Open, both of which Korda did not attend.
After avoiding each other at two tournaments following the Chevron Championship — the Riviera Maya Open and the Mizuho Americas Open — Korda and Thitikul will meet again after three events. The Kroger Queen City Championship will be held over four days starting Thursday, local time, at TPC River's Bend, er, at Kenwood Country Club (par 70) in Cincinnati, Ohio. With both players winning their most recent two starts and engaged in fierce competition, organizers found it impossible to resist pairing Korda and Thitikul in the same group for the first and second rounds to boost fan interest. The third member of the group is Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who has slipped to No. 9 in the world rankings.
Twenty Korean players are competing for the title at this event. What stands out is the unusually high number of all-Korean pairings. Nearly half — nine players — will compete in groups featuring fellow Koreans. Playing with compatriots can ease the pressure, but some players may feel heightened competitiveness and added burden. Whether the abundance of Korean pairings works to their advantage or disadvantage remains to be seen.
One group consists entirely of Korean players. Kim Sei-young, ranked No. 11 in the world, and Yoo Hae-ran, ranked No. 12 — the two highest-ranked Koreans in the field — will play alongside Yoon Yi-na, who has been producing red-hot shots lately. Yoon has made the cut in all eight tournaments this year, posting three top-10 finishes, and has earned a total of $829,192 to rank seventh on the money list.
Choi Hye-jin, who finished tied for third at last week's Mizuho Americas Open, will play in the same group as Kim A-lim and Nasa Hataoka of Japan, while Jeon In-ji will square off with Shin Ji-eun and Korean-American player Andrea Lee of the United States. Rookie Lee Dong-eun, eager to make her mark, has been paired with veteran Lee Jeong-eun VI and Polly Mack of Germany, giving her a comfortable setting to pursue her first top-10 finish of the season.
