GAINBRIDGE LPGA

February 25, 2021

Megan Khang

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Did you just move?

MEGAN KHANG: Yeah, I just have a rug and I put up curtains. That's it.

Q. Where did you move to?

MEGAN KHANG: Quincy. It's like right in between Boston and like my hometown.

Q. When did you move?

MEGAN KHANG: Literally like a week before I was supposed to come here. That's why I only have a rug in.

Q. What a great first round, and you were just telling us a little bit of what you did during the off weeks, but how did you spend the off weeks and how did you relax and get ready for this tournament?

MEGAN KHANG: I actually did a lot of snowboarding this off-season. It was easy to just kind of take my mind off of golf, really enjoy the off-season. I don't get to go much, but we had time and I really wanted to go and I bought myself a new board as a little treat after the Women's Open, and just really tried to enjoy the short off-season we had.

Q. Speaking of just goals and thinking ahead of the year, what are some goals that you've put in place?

MEGAN KHANG: Definitely get that first win. My game feels really solid right now, and just like my dad and I have been working so hard this off-season and even the last couple years that to me it's starting to come together and just kind of building the confidence and just getting tournament rounds under my belt again. Just kind of giving myself a chance at the door.

Q. Right. Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to see happen this week in terms of your game?

MEGAN KHANG: I just kind of wanted to see -- like, obviously I put new clubs in the bag, as well. I went with a blade style, the new O211s from PXG, and I love the look of them at the start and wanted to see how I perform with them in tournament rounds.

I'm striping them well. I think I've got a few extra yards out of my irons, which is exciting. It's always helpful. So just seeing if I can dial in my irons even more.

Q. What worked out the best today and was there any hole that you picked up momentum?

MEGAN KHANG: I've got to say I was really happy with the way I was putting today. I made almost all of like my shorter putts, whether it was for par or for birdie, and just kind of staying patient out there and giving myself the opportunity to make pars, like good pars and birdies.

So just overall really happy with my game and hoping to keep the momentum going into the whole week.

Q. So many great things. I've just got two more questions. Annika Sorenstam is here. When was the last time you played with her and are you looking forward to playing with her the final round?

MEGAN KHANG: I don't think I ever played a round with Annika, but I was asked a question about Annika in the field and it's super cool, because I played in the AJGA Annika Invitational, and there she just kind of spoke to us about her routine and her game plan on the golf course.

And the fact that I went from like sitting in the chair listening to her, taking her advice, to now competing in the same field as her is definitely super cool to me and it's definitely exciting. If we happen to get paired up in the last group I'm definitely going to give it my best and I'm just going to try to treat it like another round.

Q. When did you make the club change?

MEGAN KHANG: I made it a few weeks ago, so I did have some time with it. But, I mean, for me if I like the look of a club I'm pretty easy to switch, and I love the look of them. Like I've always loved the blade look, and these ones are just beautiful. That's half the battle, the look of the clubs.

Q. Why did you want to make a change?

MEGAN KHANG: So I've always liked the blade look. In junior golf I had the blade and then when I came on Tour I kind of took a more forgiving route just because it seemed to be worth a lot more, every stroke out here.

And then as my game progressed I wanted to go back to the blades. It helps me personally like shape shots and just kind of gives me the extra sense of like I really need to focus on the shot.

Q. You said you felt like things were really coming together. You had quite a few top 10s last season. What do you feel like did click for you?

MEGAN KHANG: Definitely just kind of learned to stay patient, trying not to get a temper so quickly in a round, especially when it's the first round or second round. You have 36 more holes, 18 more holes. And even then like golf is all about staying in the moment.

Personally this is my sixth year on Tour and it's kind of grown on me that you can't lose your cool out there, because if you do, you're giving the field an advantage. I've really been trying to work on that myself, and I think it's coming a long way, and there's definitely still more work to go.

Q. What do you do in that moment if you feel like you're losing your cool or losing your patience? Was there a time that happened today that you were able to pull things together?

MEGAN KHANG: So for me I personally laugh at a shot. Like today on 17 -- I had just bogeyed 16 and I thought I had made the putt, so I was like, All right, well, take the positive out of it. Hit a really good stroke, hit my line, and there was really nothing else I could do.

And then 17 I striped it dead on line and I was like, eyeing it down and then I ended up short and I was just like, oh, that's great. I tried to laugh it off because there's really nothing else I can do except focus on the next one. But lately I've been trying to just brush it off.

Q. Those who play with blades, they take a lot of risks, and speaking of risk, Aon's Risk-Reward Challenge hole this week is 15, the dogleg par-5. Does knowing it's the Aon Risk-Reward hole change your mindset going into that hole?

MEGAN KHANG: For me I'd love to birdie or eagle it every day, but when I get to that hole I'm kind of just focusing on the drive first and then I see what the game plan is right after the drive.

More likely than not if I'm in a good spot I'll try to go for it just to get the season started hot, and if not there's more than one way to skin a cat and make birdie the traditional way.