Alexandra Swayne, Kings grad, has hometown edge in LPGA's Kroger QCC

"I know the subtle breaks. I know how to play certain holes. I know which ones are birdie holes, which ones will be bogeys and you just have to walk away and be happy that you got a bogey," Swayne said. "There is a huge advantage of already being 100 rounds in versus some of the girls just doing two or three practice rounds."

At Maketewah, Swayne knows everyone from the grounds grew to the pro shop staff along with the sightlines, strategy and danger spots the course features. Hitting the fairway is vital here to avoid thick rough, and Swayne said downhill putts on the fast greens could become a defining storyline throughout the week.

"It's a Donald Ross course, so he knows what he's doing," Swayne said. "The greens are going to be very tricky, especially the downhill putts. ... They're speedy this week."

There could be dramatic moments with par-3s on No. 9 (217 yards) and No. 18 (145 yards), a challenge Swayne welcomes as a confident iron player.

"I'm a ball-striker, so if I don't have to hit a driver, I'm happy with that," Swayne said.

Swayne is a Maketewah Country Club member who will tee it up on the LPGA Tour at her hometown course this weekend: "There is a huge advantage of already being 100 rounds in versus some of the girls just doing two or three practice rounds."

For Swayne, the week carries an emotional element beyond her third career LPGA appearance. A former prep star at Kings High School, Swayne gets to compete in an LPGA Tour event in her hometown while being surrounded by the familiar faces of friends, family and Maketewah staff. It's her first LPGA event since the 2025 Founder's Cup. She also qualified an as amateur for the U.S. Women's Open in 2021.

"I'm happy to be in my backyard," Swayne said.

That home environment is a stark contrast from her usual jet-setting schedule on the Ladies European Tour. It also helps to be playing good golf. She fired a season-low round of 66 to make the cut in South Africa (Investec SA Women's Open) in April and opened May by making the cut at the MCB Ladies Classic in Mauritius.

It's positive momentum after a year that included surgery in January to remove her tonsils and adenoids following lingering complications from long COVID. Now, with family nearby and a hometown crowd expected to follow her throughout the week, the primary goal is simple.

"Just to have fun," Swayne said. "Stick to my process and I know that will put me in the best position to be in contention."

Former Ohio State Buckeye Jessica Porvasnik is in her second season on the LPGA Tour. She made the cut at last year's Kroger Queen City Championship.

Fellow Ohio native Jessica Porvasnik enters Kroger Queen City Championship on hot streak

It was a long road to the LPGA Tour for Jessica Porvasnik. The 30-year-old was able to grind through stints on the WAPT (Women's All Pro Tour) and the Epson Tour before utimately securing her LPGA Tour card for the 2025 season.

The Hinckley, Ohio, native (Highland High School) and Ohio State product missed the cut in 11 of her first 13 events as a rookie last season before making the weekend at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Since then, she has made six of eight cuts, recorded her first top-five finish and was 18th last month at the JM Eagle LA Championship.

"It's been really cool to see that my game is trending in the right direction and I'm where I want to be," Porvasnik said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship features local Alexandra Swayne