Megan Khang birdied four of the last five holes for a 4-under 68 and a three-stroke lead Saturday in the CPKC Women’s Open.
Seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, Khang rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12 with birdies on Nos. 14-16 and 18 — holing a 15-footer on the last.
“At the end of the day, I’m just going to try my best to keep that same mindset, stay patient,” Khang said. “These fairways are tight and the greens are firm, and I really just kind of trust myself out there.” The 25-year-old American had an 11-under 205 total at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, a challenging water-side layout with towering trees — and plenty of mosquitoes. While winless on the tour, she has 33 top-10 finishes, career earnings of over $5 million, and is ranked 27th in the world.
“Honestly, it’s been a lot of learning over the past few years to stay patient, not get ahead of myself,” Khang said.
Three strokes ahead at the turn on Saturday, Khang found herself two shots behind Sei Young Kim, a few holes later before rallying with the birdie spree.
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“I bogeyed 12, and then just like that, I look at the leaderboard and I hear a roar,” Khang said. “Not knowing who it is, I take a peek at the leaderboard and I see Sei Young’s name up at the top and I’m like, `Oh, here we go.’” Kim was second after a 67. The 30-year-old South Korean player had a hole-in-one on the 175th-yard eighth with a 5-iron and made an 18-foot eagle putt on the 265-yard, par-4 14th.
“A lot of people shouted loudly, so it sounded like it got in,” Kim said about the ace. “I was like, ‘Oh, I have goosebumps.’” She won the last of her 12 tour titles in 2020.
Fellow South Korean player Jin Young Ko was third at 6 under after a 71. Ko won in 2019 at Magna outside Toronto. She has 15 LPGA Tour victories.
“Today was a long day,” Ko said. “The last three holes, I didn’t have any energy.” Georgia Hall of England and first-round leader Yuka Saso of Japan were 5 under. Hall had a 70, and Saso shot 72.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England was 4 under after a 67.
Canadian star Brooke Henderson was tied for 34th at 2 over after her second 75 of the week. The 2018 winner at Wascana in Saskatchewan, she is wearing glasses in competition for the first time.
“It was disappointing that I let some shots slip away,” Henderson said. “But looking at the leaderboard on 16, I was kind of relieved because everyone else seemed to be having some trouble, too, so that made me feel a little bit better about myself.”
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