Tag: Megan Khang

Searching for first LPGA win, Megan Khang has impressive stretch in Canada

Khang flipped the script and the 25-year-old made five straight birdies on the back nine.

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After finishing her opening round with three straight bogeys, Megan Khang was eager to clean things up a little during the second round of the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf Club & Country Club in Vancouver. She certainly didn’t want another similar stretch like the one that pulled her down the leaderboard a bit on Thursday.

But while others struggled to score during Friday’s action, Khang flipped the script and rather than stringing bogeys together the 25-year-old made five straight birdies on the back nine, posted a 66 and leapfrogged the rest of the field and grab the clubhouse lead at 7 under after the early wave at the LPGA event.

Khang was one of just two players to break 70 in the morning wave, with the other being local favorite Brooke Henderson. But after struggling to a 75 in the opening round, Henderson’s 68 on Friday merely got her back in the mix, not near the top of the leaderboard. At 1 under, she trails Khang by six strokes. Linn Grant is a stroke behind Khang while Jin Young Ko sits two strokes back with Nelly Korda three off Khang’s pace.

“Today, it was a solid day. You know, yesterday I felt pretty good myself. You know, it’s never a good feeling finishing three bogeys in a row so obviously I knew I could play some pretty good golf out here,” Khang said. “Each day is different but, yeah, no, kind of mid-round my ball striking got pretty hot and then my putter was just getting hot as well.

“So just kind of like staying patient out there. The front nine felt monotonous making one birdie, but on this kind of golf course par is definitely your friend, and sometimes it’s a really good par out there.”

While the CPKC Women’s Open marks the last event for players to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup team, Khang needn’t worry about her position as she joins Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz as players who have already clinched a spot. And while Khang has been a force on the LPGA since electing to forego college and turning professional at 18, she’s still searching for her first win.

She knows that despite two solid rounds, there’s plenty of work to be done if she’s finally due for her initial victory.

“Honestly, this golf course I feel like you can’t really get too comfortable on. These fairways are tight and the greens are fast and firm, so I’m not taking anything for granted,” Khang said. “I’m just going out there just trying to deal with one shot at a time. And, you know, I’m obviously in the morning wave right now, and so Yuka clearly plays this golf course just as well.

“So it’s kind of, you know, anyone’s game out there. I’m trying not to look at anyone else but just stay within myself.”

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Photos: Megan Khang through the years

View photos of Megan Khang throughout her career.

At just 25 years old, somehow this weekend at Pebble Beach is Megan Khang’s 11th U.S. Women’s Open.

The event, despite its grand magnitude, seems to leave Khang unfazed. In her past five starts, the Massachusetts native has racked up four top-five finishes, with her best coming at the Olympic Club in 2021 (T-4).

Electing to forego college and turning professional at 18, Khang has been a force on the LPGA, despite still searching for her first win. With two Solheim Cup appearances under her belt (2019, 2021), nine top-10 finishes at majors and a holding a top 50 Rolex Official World Ranking since 2019, it will only be a matter of time before Khang breaks through.

And when she does, look out!

2023 U.S. Women’s Open odds, championship history and picks to win

Can Rose Zhang claim her first major at Pebble?

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For the first time ever, the best women golfers in the world are headed to the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open.

The storylines are plentiful with Amy Olson playing while seven months pregnant, Michelle Wie West teeing it up for the final time as a professional and Rose Zhang being the outright betting favorite.

In two LPGA starts this season, the former Stanford star won the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National and tied for eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in her first major start as a pro. Zhang is listed at 12/1 at several sportsbooks.

Golf course

Pebble Beach Golf Links | Par 72 | 6,816 yards

Pebble Beach Golf Links
The U.S. Women’s Open Trophy at the No. 7 hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. (Photo: Kip Evans/USGA)

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2022 U.S. Women’s Open leaderboard

Position Player Score
1 Minjee Lee 13 under
2 Mina Harigae 9 under
3 Hye Jin Choi 7 under
4 Jin Young Ko 6 under
5 Lydia Ko 5 under
T-6 Bronte Law 4 under
T-6 Anna Nordqvist 4 under
T-8 Megan Khang 2 under
T-8 Nelly Korda 2 under
T-8 Leona Maguire 2 under

Betting preview

Meet the top 10 players in contention at the Chevron Championship and what they’re saying about a potential jump in a new pond

Will the winner jump or not?

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Angel Yin remembers vividly a practice round she had with Cristie Kerr several years ago at an LPGA Drive On event in Georgia.

“She was walking after she hit a tee shot off a practice round, and she was like, ‘I’m four days away from people knowing I’m back,'” said Yin.

“That’s the confidence. Every day I tell myself that: ‘Just channel your Cristie Kerr.'”

Yin hasn’t yet won on the LPGA and co-leads the 2023 Chevron Championship with Allisen Corpuz, another American player looking for her first LPGA victory at the year’s first major. The third-round leaderboard at the Club at Carlton Woods is littered with players looking for a break-through week – whether that’s a first-time LPGA victory or a maiden major win.

Only a trio in a share of sixth know what it’s like to win a major – Nelly Korda, Hyo Joo Kim and A Lim Kim, who won her first major down the road in Houston at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at Champion Golf Club.

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Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 players at the Chevron, and what some are saying about the champion’s leap:

After a month off, Ryann O’Toole contending again, this time at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship

After opening with a 7-under 64, Ryann O’Toole sits tied atop a crowded leaderboard.

Ryann O’Toole had a solo ninth-place finish in Portland a week ago. It was just her third top 10 this LPGA season. It was also the first tournament she played in a month.

A week later, after opening with a 7-under 64, O’Toole sits tied atop a crowded leaderboard at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

It sounds like the four weeks away from competition made for a nice reset.

“It just depends on where you are in life. Sometimes you’re just at a point where, ‘Hey, I got some personal stuff going on. I need to take some me time. Need to sort the brain out,'” she said.

“It’s hard to come out here and perform, especially if your mind is elsewhere. I was curious how that was going to be. I don’t like to usually take that many tournaments off, but sometimes it’s good. I guess it is showing itself now that it’s important.”

O’Toole is among six golfers tied for the lead after shooting 7-under rounds of 64, including Megan Khang, Yuka Saso, Lauren Coughlin from the early wave and later, Jeongeun Lee5 and Sei Young Kim, at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. O’Toole was the only one of the six to par the par-5 18th hole; Coughlin was the only one to eagle it. The others all birdied it.

O’Toole did have six straight birdies on her front nine starting at No. 2 and had eight in all with just one bogey. Yet, after he round, she talked like she could’ve had more circles on her card.

“I definitely felt like I left a lot out there still,” she said after 18 holes of a 54-hole tournament. “Eight birdies, but I still felt like there was a ton left out there, especially on the back side.”

O’Toole, who hit all 18 greens, was among those in the early wave and she had a few ideas on how to fill the time Friday afternoon.

“Just going to do a cool-down practice, couple putts, hit some balls, and probably go check out Bentonville, get a tea somewhere, walk around. There is a lot to do here. Rogers, Arkansas is pretty fun. I do like coming here,” she said.

ESPN+ streaming coverage

Friday’s first round of TV coverage was tape-delayed on Golf Channel but the network will carry the second and final rounds.

In addition, for a second straight week, ESPN+ will have a “featured groups” coverage during both the morning and afternoon waves on all three tournament days.

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World No. 1 Jin Young Ko co-leads HSBC in Singapore, records 13th consecutive round in the 60s

With 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s, Jin Young Ko just one off the mark for most in a row – a record she already shares.

Once again, Jin Young Ko finds herself in the midst of an impressive and potentially record-breaking streak. The World No. 1 posted a breezy 5-under 67 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship on Friday, giving her 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s dating back to the 2021 BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea in October.

Last season Ko took a share of the record for most consecutive rounds in the 60s at 14 with Annika Sorenstam and So Yeon Ryu.

Ko now co-leads the HSBC at the midway point with Amy Yang at 8 under.

“It was a great round today,” said Ko. “And I tried to make more birdies and make more opportunity for birdie chance today.”

South Korea’s Yang looks to add a fifth career LPGA title. All four of her previous wins have come on the Asian swing.

Brooke Henderson (left) smiles with Jin Young Ko on the 18th green after their second round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship at Sentosa Golf Club on March 4, 2022 in Singapore. (Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)

A trio of players are tied for third at 7 under, including Brooke Henderson, Megan Khang and rookie Atthaya Thitikul, who won the 2018 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific on the New Tanjong Course.

“I think my game is fine,” said Thitikul. “I mean, not like my A game, anyway, but just trying to give myself a lot of chances to make it and then just like commit to it and then have a good roll-in for the putt, it will be good.”

Khang was scrambling to get situated in Singapore after arriving a day late due to flight issues. That gave her even less time to work with new caddie Missy Pedersen, whose regular boss, Brittany Lincicome, was unable to travel.

“(Missy and I) really haven’t had a full day until yesterday together. And so we’ve just kind of been chatting along,” said Khang. “I obviously know her usual player, Brittany Lincicome, and so we’ve just been kind of sharing some funny stories that we’ve had and really trying to keep our minds off of things.”

This marks Ko’s first start of the 2022 season. She won her last start on the LPGA, the CME Group Tour Championship in November, while battling a wrist injury that kept her from properly warming up before each round. Ko’s back to being able to practice as she’d like, heading to the range Friday after her bogey-free effort, noting that she wasn’t satisfied.

“Like my swing feels is a little different as front nine to back nine,” said Ko. “So I feel more comfortable in the back nine, so I just want to find – I just want to find what happened in the front nine, is it mentally or is it like warmup or like needing more stretch before the tee off? So, yeah, I will go to the range right now.”

Jeongeun Lee6 leads by one after first round of the CME Group Tour Championship with $1.5 million on the line

With $1.5 million on the line, Jeongeun Lee6 leads by a single shot

It wasn’t all that long ago that Mina Harigae was playing on the Arizona-based Cactus Tour, trying to earn enough money to pay the bills during a global pandemic. Fast forward 18 months and she’s in contention to win $1.5 million at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“I would buy a house for sure,” she said, “and a bunch of Jordan shoes.”

A sparkling, bogey-free 65 at Tiburon Golf Club, highlighted by a chip-in for eagle at the par-5 17th, put Harigae one shot back of 2019 U.S. Women’s Open winner Jeongeun Lee6. Round 1 of the CME was set up for scoring in response to a wet forecast. Players lit up the board on a calm day with preferred lies.

While Harigae enjoyed a legendary junior career in the state of California and beyond, she mostly toiled in the shadows as a professional, that is until she shared the lead going into the weekend at the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie last August and was selected by Pat Hurst as a captain’s pick for Team USA in the 2021 Solheim Cup that same weekend. The 32-year-old Solheim rookie called the week at Inverness the best experience of her life.

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“Being able to pull off the shots that I did during my matches and making some clutch putts, I think that gave me a ton of confidence,” said Harigae.

“Almost as if I can do that there in that kind of atmosphere, I can really do it anywhere on any course in any tournament.”

As for the Jordans, Harigae said she personally only has six pairs but her fiancé and caddie, Travis Kreiter, owns 30. Their collection is stored in the couple’s upstairs loft along with their golf equipment.

“When I see a really good pair, it’s hard for me to pull the trigger sometimes,” she said, “but when I can’t stop thinking about a pair, that’s when I’ll definitely get one.

Harigae reports that she has only spent a maximum of $250 on a single pair so far, but that she might splurge more if the rest of the week goes as planned.

Last Sunday, Jennifer Kupcho struggled to a 7-over 77 alongside fellow American Solheim Cup teammates Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson in the final group at the Pelican Women’s Championship, but she too has strong rookie Solheim vibes to draw from.

Jennifer Kupcho prepares to putt during the first round of the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club on November 18, 2021, in Naples, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

“It probably was my best ball-striking week I’ve ever had in my life,” said Kupcho, who went 2-1-1 at Inverness. “So that definitely gave me confidence.”

2021 Solheim Cup participants are peppering the board early in Naples, with Frenchwoman Celine Boutier joining Kupcho and Harigae at 7 under, and Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall, and Megan Khang at 5 under.

Boutier, who rolled out of Europe’s victorious Solheim moment and into a victory on home soil at the Lacoste Ladies Open, followed by her second LPGA title at the ShopRite in October. The biennial event, she said, gives her an added boost of confidence that she can handle pressure situations.

“I just feel like my personality, in general, is not super confident,” she said, “so I feel like I always have some doubt in my mind that I have to prove myself again and again.”

Hall’s round received a jolt when she drained a 50-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole after reaching the par 5 in two with a 3-wood.

“The greens are probably (some) of the best that I’ve played in the last four or five years,” she said.

While Kupcho played her way out of the mix on Sunday at the Pelican, her playing partners, Korda and Thompson, met in a sudden-death playoff alongside Lydia Ko and Sei Young Kim. Korda eventually won the title, and all four carried that strong form into Round 1 of the CME.

Kim joined the foursome at 7 under while World No. 1 Korda shot 66. Thompson responded from a heart-breaking string of short misses down the stretch at Pelican with a 67 at CME. Ko, who is on the verge of clinching the Vare Trophy for the tour’s low-scoring average, posted a 69.

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Team USA announces nine automatic qualifiers for 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness

After a drama-filled week at Carnoustie, nothing changed when it came to Team USA’s list of automatic qualifiers.

After a drama-filled week at Carnoustie, nothing changed when it came to Team USA’s list of automatic qualifiers for the 2021 Solheim Cup.

Megan Khang held onto the seventh and final spot off the U.S. Solheim Cup points list. And Lizette Salas, who finished in a share of second at the AIG Women’s British Open, maintained her position to qualify off the Rolex Rankings at No. 14 along with rookie Jennifer Kupcho (No. 28).

Brittany Altomare finished tied for eighth on the points list with Salas, 33.5 points behind Khang. Mina Harigae finished 34 points behind Khang.

Yealimi Noh just missed out qualifying off the rankings list, dropping to No. 31 in the world.

Captain Pat Hurst’s three captain’s picks will be announced at 10 a.m. ET Monday.

“The last two years have been so long and I’m so happy to finally know who be on Team USA in Toledo,” said Hurst. “This is an incredibly talented group of players, with so much crucial experience to lean on as we work to win back the Cup. I’m excited for the opportunity to lead this team and can’t wait to finally get to Inverness.”

Here’s a closer look at the first nine qualifiers for Team USA.

For 17 players at CME, $1.5 million payday would be a colossal breakthrough

There are 17 players looking to win a maiden LPGA title at the CME Group Tour Championship and collect the biggest paycheck in tour history.

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NAPLES, Fla. – Megan Khang didn’t exactly know how tight money was growing up, but the fact that her family would drive 14 hours to a tournament while her friends crisscrossed the country by plane gave her an idea. These days Khang finds joy in helping her parents, even with something small like paying their heating bill. She has long said that her goal in life is to build her mother’s dream house.

The Khangs might break ground if the 22-year-old wins this week’s $1.5 million prize at the CME Group Tour Championship. She’s one of 17 players in the field looking to win her first LPGA title and collect the biggest paycheck in tour history.

“Every golfer knows we wouldn’t be where we are without our parents’ sacrifices,” said Khang, who opened with a 2-under 70 at Tiburon Golf Club, five strokes back of leader Sei Young Kim.

In the past, only a handful of players at the top of the Race to the CME Globe had a chance to win the $1 million bonus. This year tournament officials combined bonus money with the first-place prize and gave anyone in the 60-player field the chance at a $1.5 million payday.

CME Group Tour Championship: Tee times | Photos

Jaye Marie Green can picture her father riding around in a Mercedes convertible, his mile-high bleach blond hair moving ever-so-slightly in the wind. Green has heard her dad talk about his dream car since she was a little girl. If the stars happened to align in Naples, Florida, Green might have headed straight to a dealership back home in Boca Raton. After a first-round 76, however, Green may have to wait until 2020 to hoist her first LPGA trophy.

Jaye Marie Green with her father/caddie Donnie at Stage 1 of LPGA Qualifying School in 2016.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen, like many players on tour, doesn’t have a sponsor on her bag. She has a new hat sponsor this season in JTB, a Japanese travel company. Her other main backer, TestHuset, has been with her since she turned professional.

Koerstz Madsen pooled money together back home in Denmark after she turned professional to get started on the Ladies European Tour.

“It was actually easier the first year than it is now,” she said of landing sponsors.

Which is precisely why making money inside the ropes is so crucial for many on the LPGA. For so many of the players looking to win on the LPGA for the first time, this is a life-changing amount of cash.

“I feel like it’s more like a major,” said Koerstz Madsen, who opened with a 68. The U.S. Women’s Open upped its winner’s check to $1 million this season.

Many golf fans first became acquainted with Brittany Altomare earlier this year at the Solheim Cup, where even Nancy Lopez was dazzled by Altomare’s touch on the greens. Altomare, who turned 29 years old on Nov. 19, won’t soon forget 2019. She hasn’t missed a cut this season and ranks a career-best of 20th on the money list. She got engaged to longtime boyfriend Steven Stanislawzyk in the middle The Lawn at Virginia, her alma mater. The Shrewsbury, Massachusetts natives will wed next October in Italy.

The ultimate bow on Altomare’s season would be to claim her first LPGA title at Tiburon. She carded a 69 in the first round.

“I think I’ve always been the type of person that likes to have security,” said Altomare. “Obviously playing professional golf, there really is no sense of security.”

A $1.5 million check would go a long way toward changing that.

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