The 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship field is down by one. Charley Hull‘s title defense at Maketewah Country Club may have gotten a little easier, as the six-time LPGA Tour champion, Danielle Kang, has left the field.

As reported by LPGA Media, “Danielle Kang has withdrawn from the Kroger Queen City Championship during her first round.”

That’s all the tweet said. Neither they nor Kang gave any update about the reason behind her exit. She just withdrew from the event without any notice. The American pro, who has been a part of the LPGA Tour roster since 2012, has only played two events this season. Her last appearance was in the 2026 Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, which saw her finish at T27.

In 2024 and 2025, Kang was already competing in eight events by this time of the year. However, with fewer appearances this season and possibly her getting close to an age where most pros retire, she might be slowing down at the moment.

That still doesn’t explain why she decided to join the 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship field but withdrew from the event midway. However, after she struggled to keep up with the competition last season, she did hint at taking her time to find her way back to the top again.

Kang has suggested that she wants to keep competing in pursuit of more success on the fairway. And she is not planning to retire in 2026.

She posted a picture of herself with a caption, “Legit am the tortoise🐢 slowly but surely…(?) we’ll never know unless we keep going right? :)”

This might be the part she is taking slowly, playing fewer events until she feels ready. So, when will Kang return to the course after withdrawing today?

Danielle Kang’s next planned outing on the LPGA Tour schedule

After playing just two tournaments in five months, Danielle Kang is certainly taking it “slowly” like a “tortoise.” However, the 33-year-old has had enough of the break, and now she might be ready to pick up the pace.

While it’s uncertain what her health condition is, Kang is already scheduled for another appearance in the upcoming weeks. After completing the 2026 Kroger Queen City Championship, she was confirmed for the field of the next LPGA Tour event, the ShopRite LPGA.

She is scheduled to be at Galloway, New Jersey, to play at the Bay Course in Seaview Hotel & Golf Club from May 29 to 31, 2026. The 54-hole tournament will give Kang the right platform to push to compete. And if she is able to get an impressive result out of it or maybe even break her four-year winless streak, then the plan to slow down will become a huge success.

Interestingly, she withdrew from the first round of the 2024 edition of the ShopRite LPGA as well. Hopefully, she returns to the course in the same event this year.