By Amy Rogers
MASON, Ohio – Vidhi Lakhawala didn’t expect to be back in Cincinnati so soon.
It was just two months ago that the 17-year-old high school senior won the Western Women’s Junior Championship at Maketewah Country Club in the Ohio Valley to earn a spot in the field at the nearby LPGA Tour stop, the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.
But in mid-August when Lakhawala got the call to see if she’d be willing to make the short flight from her home in New Jersey to Cincinnati to take part in the tournament’s media day, she didn’t hesitate to make the trip.
“I was happily shocked and just really grateful and honored to have the opportunity to play in an LPGA event,” Lakhawala said during Monday’s media day. “I’m really excited and I can’t wait to tee it up.”
Lakhawala will make her LPGA Tour debut when she tees it up alongside 143 of the best in the women’s game for the fourth edition of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio. Seven of the top 10 in the Rolex Rankings make up the early commitments to the field, which includes top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, and defending champion Lydia Ko who will be vying for a $2 million purse.
Lakhawala participated in her first-ever media day alongside representatives from Kroger, P&G, and the LPGA Tour who met with the media during Championship Monday at the Cincinnati Open, just a 15-minute drive from nearby TPC River’s Bend. P&G’s Kristian Gatewood sat alongside Kroger’s Kate Meyer to outline the new and returning activations that will be happening outside the ropes to entertain fans who will be turning out for Cincinnati’s only professional golf tournament.
“This year we have over 25 brands that are going to be on-site to enhance overall fans’ experience,” said Gatewood about P&G’s growing tournament presence. “Charmin is going to be back, so they’re sponsoring, they’ll be the official sponsor of hole No. 2 for the event, which will be great. So, you guys get the pun. And then Pampers is going to have a ton of different activations so in the fun zone they’ll be sponsoring a family center that’s actually going to have a nursery room in it, which will be great. I’m really excited to actually experience the Olay Body Wash Public Viewing Deck that’s going to be on the 7th tee. It could be an awesome time to potentially see a hole-in-one, so I would encourage everyone to get out there.”
More than 50,000 fans turned out for the third edition of the Kroger Queen City Championship, which was held for the first time at TPC River’s Bend in 2024 following a two-year stint at nearby Kenwood Country Club.
“Just personally being able to bring my family, and I now have a six-year-old that has taken golf lessons and wants to learn to play, so I think it’s sparked something in her that’s made it super special,” Meyer said about the family friendly atmosphere of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. “I’m grateful to have this opportunity to bring everyone there and see all the kids running around too as part of it. It’s just a different event.”
The LPGA’s Casey Ceman, the Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs at the LPGA, made the trip from the Tour’s headquarters in Florida to Ohio to take part in the media day. Ceman shared details of the changes coming to the tournament for the year under the new management team at Outlyr.
“From a golf perspective, it’s a very similar event, but I think it’s going to be that fan-friendly experience that you’ll see that is really elevated this year,” Ceman said about the tournament. “This is exactly what we look for is this kind of community engagement, and the way Kroger and P&G have leaned in with their brands, getting out here and activating throughout the week.”
Lakhawala will get her first taste of what it’s like to compete in a world-class event when she makes her LPGA Tour debut in a few short weeks. Lakhawala is one of two players to receive a sponsor invitation in addition to Maria Fassi, a P&G ambassador. For Lakhawala, the week will give her a glimpse of what life might be like for her someday as she has committed to playing on the women’s golf team at Wake Forest University beginning next season and hopes that will serve as a springboard to one day returning to compete in the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G as one of the professionals in the field.
“I’m looking forward to a lot of things,” Lakhawala said of her debut. “Just the experience of playing an LPGA event and playing alongside professionals who play on the LPGA tour for a living and just having a really great time and soaking up the experience from this event.”
