Ko, Doherty tied for lead at Kroger Queen City Championship
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BOND HILL, Ohio − After a challenging second round at Maketewah Country Club, Jin Young Ko and Amanda Doherty are neck-and-neck atop the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.
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Ko led early, teeing off just after 8 a.m. and turned in a bogey-free card for a 66 (-4). Three of the South Korean's four birdies came on the front-9, but Ko avoided costly mistakes on the back-9 to become the leader in the clubhouse at 7-under for the week.
In the penultimate grouping of the day, Doherty slowly but surely worked her way up the leaderboard with five birdies spaced throughout the round. Sitting just one shot behind Ko on the final hole, the American nailed a tee shot for an easily converted birdie to finish at 66 (-4). The Florida State alumna is firmly in the hunt for her first-ever LPGA win.
Hot on their heels is England's Lottie Woad, sitting at 6-under through 36 holes. Woad carded the best round of the day, shooting seven birdies to just one bogey for a 64 (-6).
Jodi Ewart Shadoff made waves with a hole-in-one on the 12th. She climbed into the top-10 thanks to a second-round score of 66 (-4).
After some fluctuations throughout the afternoon the cut finally solidified at 2-over, cutting those tied for 65th or worse. Defending champion Charley Hull had a tough end to the second round, turning in six bogeys in eight holes to finish the day tied for 38th. Xavier alumnus Emma McMyler was also safe, carding another par after an even round on Thursday.
The second round further demonstrated the increased difficulty of this year's Kroger Queen City Championship. At TPC River's bend in 2025, the tournament's cut line was -2, with the top-10 golfers all turning in a 9-under or better through 36 holes. Now at Makatewah Country Club, +2 marked the cut line and the leader sits at just 7-under.
Here are all the highlights from Friday's second round.
2026 Kroger Queen City Championship leaderboard
Through 36 holes, here are the leaders of the Kroger Queen City Championship:
T-1. Jin Young Ko (-7), 133
T-1. Amanda Doherty (-7), 133
3. Lottie Woad (-6), 134
4. Lydia Ko (-5), 135
T-5. Jennifer Kupcho (-4), 136
T-5. Nelly Korda (-4), 136
T-5. Jeeno Thitikul (-4), 136
T-5. Chella Choi (-4), 136
T-5. Rio Takeda (-4), 136
T-10. Jodi Ewart Shadoff (-3), 137
T-10. Haeran Ryu (-3), 137
T-10. Ruoning Yin (-3), 137
T-10. Cassie Porter (-3), 137
T-10. Sophia Schubert (-3), 137
T-10. Ina Yoon (-3), 137
Projected cut line moved back
As the final pairings look to wrap up their rounds, the projected cut is once again at +2. Xavier alumnus Emma McMyler is sitting right on the bubble at 1-over through 15 holes today.
Amanda Doherty rises to second-place tie
Out of the penultimate tee time for the second round, Amanda Doherty has put together a 3-under round through 13 with four birdies. Her latest on the par-4 13th hole enters her into a tie with Lottie Woad for second.
Charley Hull takes six bogeys on back-9
After climbing as high as second at 6-under, defending champion Charley Hull suffered six bogeys in the final eight holes to post a 72 (+2) for the second round. She now sits tied for 40th and is even for the week.
New projected cut line at Kroger Queen City Championship
As the field has settled towards the end of the second round, the new cut line is projected at +1. If it holds, that would eliminate the 15 golfers tied for 51st at the moment.
Chella Choi salvages par in the second round
Chella Choi dropped as low as 3-over today after leading the first round, but closed her round with four birdies in five holes to remain 4-under for the week. She remains in the top-10 as she enters the clubhouse, tied with three others for ninth overall.
Ruoning Yin climbs into top 10 with fourth birdie
After an even first round, Ruoning Yin has hit her stride on Friday with four birdies and just one bogey. She sits at 3-under for the round through 16 holes, good for a four-way tie for ninth.
Charley Hull drops out of top 10 with four bogeys
After surging to within one stroke of the leader, Charley Hull bogeyed four of her last five holes to drop into a four-way tie for ninth. She's sitting at 2-under for the week and even for the day through 15.
World No. 4 Ina Yoon's up-and-down round continues with birdie
Ina Yoon, No. 4 in the Rolex World Rankings, narrowly missed an eagle putt on the par-4 11th to turn in a tap-in birdie. She's carded three bogeys and two birdies through 11 holes today and sits four strokes behind the leader at 3-under.
Brianna Do with a huge turnaround in second round
After posting a 75 (+5) on Thursday, Brianna Do has clawed all the way back to even with five birdies through 13 holes today. Do currently sits in a tie for 36th two strokes ahead of the cut line.
Xavier alum Emma McMyler hanging around Kroger Queen City Championship cut line
Emma McMyler, an Xavier alum and first-year LPGA pro, currently sits at 1-over for the tournament after a bogey on the par-3 12th hole. The cut line is currently projected at +2, so McMyler is just on the right side in a tie for 50th.
Chella Choi's second-round struggles continue through 13
The round-one leader turned in another bogey on the par-4 13th hole, dropping out of a tie for 10th place. Choi is still looking for her first birdie of the day and sits at 3-over for the round thus far.
Charley Hull now up to second
Defending Kroger Queen City Championship winner Charley Hull continues to surge in the second round. A birdie on the par-4 10th hole moves her to 6-under, moving into a tie for second with Lottie Woad. Woad completed her round with the best round of the tournament thus far, turning in a 64 (-6).
Jodi Ewart Shadoff hole-in-one on 12
Jodi Ewart Shadoff hit an ace on the 163-yard 12th hole to keep herself on the right side of the cut line. After a 1-over first round, she started her day with a bogey on the par-4 10th hole and now sits at 1-under for the tournament.
Charley Hull climbs into Top 5
Charley Hull just eagled the par-5 seventh hole for the second consecutive day. The double-circle came after starting the round with six consecutive pars. She moves to 4-under and into a tie for fourth place.
Frida Kinhult has hot start on back-9
Searching for back-to-back sub-70 rounds for the third time this season, Friday Kinhult has a pair of birdies in five holes so far on the back-9. She is tied for eighth at 3-under for the tournament.
Chella Choi drops to 8th place
Chella Choi, the 18-hole co-leader after firing a 66 on Thursday, has dropped into a tie for eighth place. She is 1-over through six holes thus far. After five consecutive pars to begin the round, she narrowly missed the fairway on the par-4 sixth hole. Her approach shot found the bunker and a long par putt came up short.
What is the projected cut line at the Kroger Queen City Championship?
The projected cut line is currently +2 as a light rain begins to fall at Maketewah Country Club.
Jin Young Ko is the Kroger Queen City Championship clubhouse leader
With the morning rounds wrapping up, Jin Young Ko currently holds the 36-hole lead at Maketewah. She fired a 67 on Thursday and just finished with a second-round 66 to move to 7-under, one shot in front of Woad.
Lottie Woad records lowest round of Kroger Queen City Championship
Lottie Woad just wrapped up the lowest round of the Kroger Queen City Championship thus far with a 64 (-6). She recorded just one bogey and seven birdies while hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
Featured group of Ko, Korda, Thitikul wrap up second round
Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul are all in the top 5 after wrapping up a solid second round. Ko was 3-under on Friday and is currently in third place at 5-under overall. Korda and Thitikul are tied for fourth place at 4-under after carding a second-round 67.
Lydia Ko climbs into tie for second place at Kroger Queen City Championship
Lydia Ko could be making a run for her second Kroger Queen City Championship title in three years. After starting two-over through eight holes, Ko played the final 10 holes at 5-under to card a 67. She sits in a tie for second place with Lottie Woad.
Jin Young Ko surges into first-place tie at Kroger Queen City Championship
Going back to Thursday's opening round, Jin Young Ko hasn't made a bogey in 24 holes. She had three in her first eight holes but has used a hot putter and stellar iron play to climb into a share of the lead at 6-under. In the second round, she is 3-under after back-to-back birdies on No. 4 and No. 5.
Nelly Korda back in the top 10 at Kroger Queen City Championship
World No. 1 Nelly Korda was having issues with her driver in the opening round. Today, she's hit 8 of 10 fairways and is averaged 300 yards off the tee but has missed five greens in regulation. Korda was even on the day after 12 holes, but just birdied the par-4 fourth hole to move to 2-under for the tournament and into a tie for 10th place.
Lottie Woad, Rio Takeda tied for lead at Kroger Queen City Championship
Lottie Woad is 6-under through 10 holes in the second round after notching birdies before and after the turn. At 6-under, she is in a tie for first place with Rio Takeda, who is 2-under Friday through nine bogey-free holes.
Lottie Woad looking for LPGA breakthrough
Last year, Lottie Woad was a surging rookie on the LPGA Tour who recorded her fourth top 10 in five starts when she finished 18-under at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
The 22-year-old has six career top 10s, including three this season, and one career win. After missing the cut at last week's Mizuho Americas Open, she is tied for second place at Maketewah at 4-under. Woad has birdied four of six holes in the second round.
Rio Takeda takes solo lead at Kroger Queen City Championship
Rio Takeda opened the second round with a birdie on the par-4 first hole to move into sole possession of first place at 5-under. She's followed that with five consecutive pars to remain atop the leaderboard.
How to watch the LPGA's Kroger Queen City Championship
TV: Golf Channel (3-6 p.m.)
Streaming: Golfchannel.com/Golf Channel App
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kroger Queen City Championship second round leaders