CPKC WOMEN'S OPEN

August 27, 2023

Megan Khang

Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome back inside the media center here at the CPKC Women's Open. I am pleased to be joined by the newest champion of this tournament, Megan Khang. Megan, you are now an LPGA Tour winner.

I want to start off with how does that feel?

MEGAN KHANG: It feels like it hasn't even sunk in yet. Honestly I was kind of stressing the whole day, past two days. I relied pretty heavily on Jack.

At the end of the week to be on top, it's huge and like the feeling just hasn't really sunk in, so hopefully it does soon. (Laughter.)

Q. What was the game plan from the start today? How did you stick to that routine you talked about yesterday?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, it was tough today. I knew in my head I had a three-shot lead. You don't really think about results, but of course you want to get the win at the end of the day.

It took a little longer than regulation to get it done, but Sei Young was kind of pushing me the whole day and I was trying not to think about what she was doing. I couldn't help it. I think at one point we were only one shot apart.

On 16 I looked at the leaderboard and I saw I was tied with Jin Young and I was like, oh, yeah, got a couple people to worry about.

At the end of the day, Jack was kind of reassuring me, hey, let's go do our own thing. We can't control what they're doing.

Q. I got to ask about the playoff. Were there any nerves? What were the feelings as you got ready to go back through 18?

MEGAN KHANG: There were definitely nerves. I was shaking signing my scorecard. I triple checked that scorecard to make sure everything was correct and we did sign.

You know, I was very thankful to have some friends out there who were right there telling me I got this and that they're there for me. It's always nice when you have that kind of friendship out here on tour. That playoff I tried to stay in my own little world.

I didn't know where Jin Young had hit her tee shot. I was just trying to keep my head down and stay in the moment and not get ahead of myself.

Q. Congratulations. I'm curious about maybe the self-talk after the bogey on 17 and coming onto the 18th tee. What was that like? Obviously you talked a lot about talking to your caddie about anxiety in situations like that. What was it like walking from 17 green to 18 and what was the game plan there on 18?

MEGAN KHANG: I mean, I took an extra second on 17 green after I missed that par putt. I took a deep breath, and not knowing what Jin Young was doing on 18, I didn't know if she had hit it close for birdie or if she was making par or even bogey.

At the end of the day, like the one thing I had to do first off was if I'm going to give myself a chance to try to force a playoff, I got to hit the fairway.

And so again, just going back to like focusing on the task at hand, not getting ahead of myself, and just try to really take it one shot at a time. I heard a roar in the fairway when Jin Young made a putt and I had no clue what it was for.

At the end of the day, again, I was like, hey, if I make birdie and she happened to par or even if she birdied, she played a great round. She definitely -- those pins were tough. Course conditions were tough. It's the final round and at stake.

Walking up, I knew, hey, give it a birdie chance, and you can't say I didn't try.

Q. Obviously you've been close before. This is your first LPGA Tour title. Of course any -- when that happened it would've been exciting, but this is a national opened with a storied history. Does that make it extra special?

MEGAN KHANG: It definitely does. I love coming to Canada every year. I don't think I've ever skipped this event and I don't think I'm going to plan to ever even more now.

No, I mean, it's just an incredible feeling. There is so much history that goes on behind this tournament. You know, Lorie Kane is a such a great mentor. I saw her this week. She said, go do your thing out there, kid.

It's pretty cool having one the Canadian greats out there just kind of hanging around and feel free to talk to her about any tips and how to calm down.

So it's pretty cool. The crowds are very welcoming. The people are great. Every time I come to Canada these golf courses are a challenge.

Q. On the 72nd hole, what was your yardage in and have you ever hit a better shot under that much pressure in your life?

MEGAN KHANG: Honestly I feel like I kind of blacked out. I want to say I was really mad that I had bogeyed 17 and I smoked my drive. It was pretty clear that I was kind of upset.

I had roughly 107 front, 138 pin, and that pin today was hard to get to, but I had some good kind of momentum going into 18. Every day I hit a really good shot in, and I got a birdie yesterday on 18. Again, I knew I needed the birdie.

That's probably one of my best shots I hit under pressure knowing that you need a birdie to force a playoff. To make that birdie putt, I know it wasn't super long, but I was very happy to put a good stroke on it. These greens are tough and they're fast.

It all worked out. (Smiling.)

Q. Wondering if you could give us a comment on the golf course, the kind of test it presented and the impressions of the golf course all week?

MEGAN KHANG: This golf course, you know, I got to the course Monday and I played a practice round with some friends and we were joking, like I thought we were done playing majors this year.

Tough is an understatement. These fairways, you know, you have to keep them center and it felt like if you got a foot in the rough you most of the time were punching out. Hit an errant tee shot, again, punching out. Small greens, firm and fast. It really did play like a major it felt like.

But I would say if you lost your focus out there for a split second there is a chance you were going to make a bogey. But it definitely had some holes were give and take. It's what we do, right? We embrace the challenge.

Q. Congratulations. It was a long journey to your first LPGA title. Did you ever have self-doubt or concern that you might not ever win?

MEGAN KHANG: I feel like, you know, being that it was eight years to get the first win, it definitely kind of creeps into your mind, am I going to win out here. That's when a good team comes into play. My parents, my boyfriend, my caddie, they're like if you're going to win it's like when and it's kind of like maturing and being more comfortable and confident in my game and focus on the task at hand instead of the results.

This week it really played a factor in like you can't get upset over stuff that happened the previous holes and you just got to focus on the next shot because that's all that matters. I mean, that's what I told Jack in the playoff. I was like, hey, my round, my 2-over round today does not mean anything. Right now it's pretty much a straight up match play and we're going to make her work for it if it comes down to it.

Q. The CPKC Women's Open has one of the larger crowds on the LPGA Tour. How much did that elevate the stage and the moment for you?

MEGAN KHANG: It was huge. I was playing out there and I was joking with Jack, Sei Young was playing pretty well.

You know, they were chanting Sei Young's name out there and I was just kind of like -- I kind of felt like the underdog out there. That kind of motivated me a little bit. I wanted to put myself in that position where she's going to have to come get me.

We kept it pretty fun out there, only getting within one shot of each other at one point. We were exchanging birdies and bogeys as well, even though I heard some chants for Sei Young I heard some people saying, you got this Megan. Those few people that do happen to chant Megan, they got me through it today.

Q. This is the end the Team U.S. Solheim qualifying period. What does this o win do for you heading into the Solheim Cup here in a month?

MEGAN KHANG: It definitely gives me a lot of confidence. My game has been trending in the right direction lately and I think this just adds the self-confidence that, hey, I can win out here. I have won out here now.

You know, playing in front of like these big crowds it's just like a Solheim. That playoff hole, it felt huge. I know Jin Young is such a well established player. Her career speaks for itself.

It's just kind of like, okay, it doesn't matter right now. It's just her and me on the golf course. It's good momentum trying to get the first win in a playoff and especially going into Solheim this year, so it'll be a lot of fun.

Q. Megan, many people might not know the story of your parents emigrating to the U.S. Can you share about that and what this win means to them?

MEGAN KHANG: Yeah, so for those who don't know, my parents emigrated from Laos, so came over during the Vietnam War when they were both roughly around eight to ten years old. So I'm first generation Hmong-American.

My dad kind of had an auto mechanic shop. My mom is still a kindergarten teacher. Once I started to pick up the game of golf pretty seriously my dad told my mom, hey, do you trust me? We can get our daughter a scholarship for golf if we kind of stick with it.

Fast forward, I end up turning pro before I kind of -- I thought about going to college, but I just turned pro right after high school. You know, we're truly living the American dream and I owe everything to them for sacrificing and believing in me and my dad, and this is a family win.

Q. Can we get the Vancouver coffee shop power ranking and how important that played in you are routine the alt couple days?

MEGAN KHANG: I'm not going to lie. I was getting so much anxiety that I would kind of only drink half a coffee because I was shaking to much from the stress. No, I definitely went to like a bunch of coffee shops this week. You guys have great coffee, by the way.

I think my number one spot right now is Revolver, are which is in downtown.

THE MODERATOR: That is a good one.

MEGAN KHANG: You go?

THE MODERATOR: I heard really good things.

MEGAN KHANG: I get DMs about like coffee shops to go to. I think I should start ranking them.

THE MODERATOR: I think we have a new job for you. Speaking a little bit about your family just then, I want to know how much were you thinking of all the moments that led to that final putt on that playoff? How many times did you think about what your dad has taught you over the last couple years?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, my dad, I mean, growing up you practice and you joke, oh, this is to win the U.S. Women's Open, this tournament, that tournament.

It's great that that last putt was to win the CPKC Women's Open. It's just stuff you dream about as a kid. I mean, I haven't been able to talk to them yet, but it's going to be probably a cryfest when we FaceTime. But it's going to be happy tears for sure.

THE MODERATOR: All right, just one last wrap up here. Thank you, Megan, and congratulations.

MEGAN KHANG: Thank you, thank you so much.