PORTLAND CLASSIC

September 2, 2023

Megan Khang

Columbia Edgewater Country Club

Golf Channel

GRANT BOONE: Megan, congrats on another great week, backing it up. On quite the roll right now, aren't you?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, game feels pretty solid. I think last week definitely helped build some confidence knowing I can win out here.

It's not just if it was going to happen or when but like it has happened, so it's definitely a great feeling to have under the belt.

Just going to try it take what I learned last week into this week going with I think a one-shot lead. So it's definitely a lot closer and there is a ton of people I know for a fact who can shoot low, and so it's going to be anyone's game out there I feel like.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, you certainly had that last week as well. Plenty of people who could have caught you. You went up against the best of the best in the playoff against Jin Young Ko. Take us through that shot on 18 to set up birdie to tie in the playoff. What was going through your head? What was that moment like?

MEGAN KHANG: I mean, I think it all started from like 17 green. I think it was pretty obvious I was pretty disappointed to miss the par putt. I kind of walked off the green on 17 just saying, hey, that's over. Let's go focus on this last hole and give ourselves the best opportunity.

Obviously we didn't know how Jin Young was playing ahead of us, but first shot you got to do is hit the fairway; got that down, and that was huge. Didn't know exactly what she had made on the green. I heard a loud roar, but I kind of saw on the leaderboard that the nine didn't change to a ten, and so I was like, you know, they can't say I'm not trying, and just gave it my best effort.

MORGAN PRESSEL: I'm sure you like to see that shot again.

MEGAN KHANG: It's awesome. The amount compliments I've gotten on that shot, it's huge, and it's probably the best shot in my career so far.

GRANT BOONE: I know you were also proud of the putt. That wasn't a tap-in. It wasn't a gimme. You still had to put a good stroke on it.

MEGAN KHANG: Oh, yeah. My heart was beating out of my chest. You know, I just went back to fundamentals: Keep the hands quiet and use the shoulders and whatever happens, happens. Two things are going to happen, you're going to either make it or miss, it so might as well give it a good stroke.

GRANT BOONE: Kept the hands quiet, but you're making some serious noise the last couple weeks. Let's talk about today. You began the day, what, couple shots off the lead. You had seen, I know, that people were going low. This is for birdie at 2.

That got to you 13-under par.

You made a birdie and a bogey, 7 and 9. You had some wild stances from around the green today and hit some incredible shots.

But this was an absolute beauty at 11. You had rolled that in for birdie.

And then how about at the 12th? What did you see here?

MEGAN KHANG: Honestly, I owe that putt to Ronni who I was playing well. Her putt literally went perfectly online with mine, and I looked at her and I was like, hey, thanks for the read. It definitely helps paying attention.

GRANT BOONE: Looked like you guys were having fun. You both made a bunch of birdies.

MEGAN KHANG: It was a lot of fun. Ronni is such a great young player and a major winner.

GRANT BOONE: Yeah.

MEGAN KHANG: And she's super nice, and was it just fun out there. We were fist bumping each other, pumping each other up with some birdies and matching birdies out there. It was just a nice round for a Saturday.

GRANT BOONE: And then at 15, another one. That tied the lead.

Did you know where you were? Did you know where the lead was?

MEGAN KHANG: I didn't know what the lead was roughly until I want to say 16, 17.

GRANT BOONE: And then this one gave you the lead outright. You'll take it.

MEGAN KHANG: I will take it. Funny enough, I did know that I was 5-under on the day and I kind of needed that one to do a 6-under. In my head I was like, all right, let's try to be consistent out there and try to get all three rounds at 6-under.

So happy with that. Proud of that.

GRANT BOONE: Well now you're going to play, for among others, this women here as your assistant captain, the Solheim Cup. How much does that mean to you as a first-generation American to represent the red, white, and blue?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, it's huge. My family and I are truly living the American dream. My parents came over from Laos at such a young age, and to be first generation Hmong-American, it's huge. I owe a lot to my parents and all the sacrifices they've made and continue to make for me. I wouldn't be here without them and them sacrificing so much for me to live my dream.

Today is actually my mom's birthday.

GRANT BOONE: Happy birthday.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Happy birthday.

MEGAN KHANG: She starts school Tuesday, so happy birthday, mom.

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, obviously you're playing some incredible golf. I know we talked about it a little bit on the range this morning, as a lot of the American team is playing heading into Spain. I've seen you through this year, especially I would say even on our call we had earlier this week, like really embracing the role of being a team leader. How are you taking that mentality into Spain? I'm paying close attention here.

MEGAN KHANG: It's so funny that a lot of the girls who are on the team who are rookies this year, on Solheim, I played junior golf with them, so we go way back to like 15 even. I've known Allisen Corpuz since I was seven years old.

So it's pretty cool being I would say a veteran on the team, but at the same time we're all pretty good friends out there from junior golf. You know, I think that just makes it that much more comfortable.

I feel like even when we're on tour I get texts from Allisen, like hey, can I ask you a question? It's just nice that even though we went different routes to get here, we did get to our end goal.

We're there for each other no matter what, even if it's just the little questions. So I'm trying to embrace it. I know I'm probably one of the more outgoing players on the team, but we got a pretty bomb music playlist going on. We got a wide range of music tastes, so feel free to send me a text if you want any certain songs on it.

GRANT BOONE: I think I know what'll be on your playlist.

MEGAN KHANG: I'll put some T Swift on there for you.

Q. GRANT BOONE: You missed the Drake concert, but you got a chance to win in the city that's the title of one of his biggest hits, Portland, tomorrow. It could happen.

MEGAN KHANG: Drake was a little upsetting, but it wasn't his fault. It was a pretty cool dinner. I went to dinner with Alison Lee that Monday right before the concert. Even though we didn't get to see Drake, we did see like Travis Scott and his whole posse walking back and forth.

We did not play it cool. I remember he walked by and Alison goes, Travis Scott, and his security just looked at us. We were like, okay, yeah we're not getting invited to go have drinks with them.

GRANT BOONE: You started at the bottom and now you're here, top of the leaderboard and a chance to win for the second straight week. Way to go.

MEGAN KHANG: Thank you.

GRANT BOONE: Keep it going.

Fastscripts by ASAP Sports...