FM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 28, 2024

Megan Khang

TPC Boston

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome everyone here to the FM Championship media center. I am joined by Boston's favorite, Megan Khang today, who I'm sure is very happy to be here with us all.

I would just kick things off with the first question. How excited are you to play here in your home in front of all these great people who I'm sure will be out with your sponsor, FM right on your chest, your arm?

MEGAN KHANG: It's super cool to bring an event back to Massachusetts, and for it to be a personal sponsor of mine it's an incredible feeling. I joke I feel like the unofficial host, and I feel bad that I can't recommend a ton of restaurants. If you do have any restaurants, send them my way and I'll send them out.

It's pretty cool to be playing in front of a home crowd, and very excited to see a lot of familiar faces out there and just kind of show the world and show Massachusetts the talent that the girls have on tour. Very exciting overall.

Q. Welcome back. You were a Button Hole kid growing up. Wanted to ask you just how important facilities like that are like that in terms of growing the game and in serving communities that might not get much exposure to the game?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, growing up, before my dad picked up golf he was a mechanic in Rhode Island. On the weekends a lot of my extended family was in Rhode Island and we came across Buttonhole. I would kind of drag my cousin with me so I would of a friend to go play with.

Being a Button Hole, just having a bucket of balls that was only $1 or $2, very affordable for almost anyone. Because like as I got older I didn't realize how expensive golf can be.

So just to be able to have the accessibility that Buttonhole provides to those that may not have the financial stability to play golf, but to have $1 for a bucket, $3 to go play and overall you can spend an entire day and spend maybe $10, it's incredible.

As I older I got to know the owners, Ed and Karen Morrow, and we are very close friends to this day and they're an unbelievable couple. Just a great family to do what they do and do it for the love of growing the game and making golf accessible to everyone.

Q. There has been kind of a rise in women's sports in New England and Boston with the PWHL team, the Connecticut Sun playing at TD Garden, and the new NWSL team. Do you see the FM Championship adding to that rise? Do you hope it is? What does it mean to be part of that?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, I did hear about all the women's sports teams coming to Massachusetts. For FM to come in and be one of the -- I think the biggest purse on the women's tour that is a non-major ou our tour championship is a huge way to get the women's game catapulted.

Again, here in Massachusetts you have so many different tours coming -- I belive you said the -- oh, my gosh, was it the basketball? It's kind of surprising that Massachusetts doesn't have their own team. Pretty cool we're hosting them at TD Garden.

I know Massachusetts and New England itself is a huge sports community, and to be able to bring women's golf back after 20 something years it's a great way to do it, and FM is doing a fantastic job coming out of the gates with a $3.8 million purse.

Q. Curious to hear any familiarity you have with the Ouimet Fund. I know you won the tournament a couple times as a youngster. Any introduction to friends you might have had that were scholars? You had a couple scholars in your group today. What's it like to see that Ouimet logo back?

MEGAN KHANG: It's always great when you can give back to a foundation, and Francis Ouimet is one of the biggest in Massachusetts, if not the biggest. To see how we incorporate them in days like this where we do get to meet I guess two a day or two during our round, and little things like this, it may seem so little to us, but in the big picture it's very exciting to see people benefitting and getting the most and getting to experience what we get to.

I have the worst memory, but did always enjoy going to the Francis Ouimet tournament. I think I won it twice. I was really bummed because I think I lost the third time. It's funny, because it's a family of three and I wanted three. That's a little off topic.

No, I mean, it holds a special place in my heart because Massachusetts and Francis Ouimet, it's nice having a little sentimental value to it because it is home.

Q. We were hoping that might jog your memory.

MEGAN KHANG: Oh, my goodness. I used to rock a popped collar. I still do once in a while. Once in a while, I'll zip it up. Look at that? I think I still --

Q. Do you know how old you are in that photo?

MEGAN KHANG: It was the R11, so I was probably like 14. Do you remember? (Laughter.)

Q. 13 or 14, yeah.

MEGAN KHANG: I have the worst memory. My parents still have the trophy at the house, though.

Q. Who are you excited to see at the celebrity tournament today?

MEGAN KHANG: Celebrity tournament today?

Q. The pro-am.

MEGAN KHANG: I heard Tuukka Rask is here in the building, and so I have met him before at another charity event and I know he's a fanatic about golf. It's pretty cool to see couple guys from other sports come in and support women's golf.

I'm a huge fan. Got more into hockey as the years have gone on. Are you excited to see anyone?

Q. I don't really know anybody, so...

THE MODERATOR: He's excited to see you, Megan.

Q. Obviously junior golf is huge in Massachusetts and you've seen number of players progress into the collegiate ranks out of the state. What is it about Massachusetts golf that prepares players for not only golf now but later?

MEGAN KHANG: You know, personally I think it's because like we have such a short golf season and we do have allege break, I think it really emphasizes quality versus quality in a sense. I know that's how was it for me growing up. I didn't go to college, but in a sense my dad would always be like, we have a very limited time, especially when it came to daylight savings. So we had to have a very good practice session in the sense of putting in the time and effort because the time was very short.

Just kind of having that in your mindset and making sure, you know, sometimes you're going to have cold days, sometimes be a little snowy, a little rain, but you can't let that stop you. You just learn to persevere through it.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I think that's how the Massachusetts and Boston mindset is already. Letting that bleed into golf, it kind of shows the grit that us Bostonians and New Englanders have, and not just in golf, I mean every sport that we have. I grew up in the Tom Brady-New England dynasty. Watching that growing up, it's very inspiring to see the never-give-up attitude.

Hard work goes a long way. Brady played for however many extra years that not many others would. Just the work ethic alone just shines through.

Q. The history of golf begins almost in Massachusetts. To have a tournament after 20 years come back to the state, how important is it for golf to have a professional tournament here in Massachusetts where almost it began for the United States?

MEGAN KHANG: It's one of the best feelings to be able to say that one of my own sponsors is bringing it back to Massachusetts. We have so many amazing golf courses out here, TPC Norton being one of them.

I think the men being here for however many years and obviously the women were here for I believe it was the Welch's Women's Open, you know, to be able to bring a tournament back to New England, Massachusetts especially, it's incredible just because we have such a great fan base out here.

We have amazing golf courses we want to showcase. I think it's very important to show off the girls as well in a sense of we can play this golf course just like the men and hopefully maybe a little better.

This course is a challenge, and to show that off as well, it's going to be a lot of fun. I hope the crowds come out and support women's golf and just watch the talent that we have.

Q. Just curious, how many times have you played this course? After playing today, how did it play for you?

MEGAN KHANG: So I used to play in the Duetsche Bank pro-am and then the Dell Technologies pro-am, but that was probably 14 or 15 or so. For this year I only played it once right before going to Scotland up even three, four weeks ago the course was in great shape. Coming back in Scotland the past two weeks to some fresh greens, this course is in pristine conditions. Fairways are pure and greens are rolling I don't know how fast. I think at least a 12 out there, if not faster.

It's been a lot of fun. It's going to be tough conditions. Rough is thick. It's very much going to be a drive for show, putt for dough. Going to be pretty gettable with certain pins. We'll see how the courses withstands the week. There will be no excuses for missing some putts other than maybe a misread just because of how pure it is out there.

Q. A little bit of a personal question. I know you're a big fan of a good cup of coffee. Being back home in New England what's your Dunkie's order?

MEGAN KHANG: I know I'm not getting a Dunkin sponsor. I don't drink Dunkin. I'll drink a Coolatta from there. I feel bad. Dunkin was my introduction to coffee. I remember in high school -- oh, gosh, all the coffee people are going to look at me with like disgust. Used to be like a French vanilla extra, extra mocha swirl. I look back on it and you and drank and got like a full mouthful of sugar.

It was pretty much a cup of cream with a splash of coffee back then. Nowadays I've matured, I've grown up, and now I like a little flat white on the road. When I am home I'm making my own coffee at home right now.

Q. I'm not sure if you heard or FM has told, but the ticket sales for this event have been off the chart, really exceeding expectations. What would you say to the Boston sports fans who will come out and support this week?

MEGAN KHANG: I would say they're in for a heck of a show. These girls will put on a fantastic event, and hopefully it's going to be very entertaining. Selfishly I hope I'm the one raising the cup, but we'll see at the end of the week.