CPKC Women’s Open Notes: Khang in great position to earn first win: Disappointing rounds for Canadians Henderson and Sharp; Zhang’s fast start fizzles: Marine Drive memories for Noh
Brooke Henderson's Game Was Slightly Off In Round 3 As Evidenced By Sister & Caddy Brittany Pointing Right On This Tee Shot - BC Golf Photo
By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf
Megan Khang has done everything but win on the LPGA Tour. She has a great opportunity to finally cross that off her to-do list in Sunday’s final round of the CPKC Women’s Open at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.
The 25-year-old Khang birdied four of her last five holes in Saturday’s third round to take a three-shot lead into Sunday. The Massachusetts native sits at 11-under through 54 holes on a Shaughnessy course that has proven to be a superb test.
“Honestly, I am relieved the day is over,” Khang said after her round. “It was kind of like you look at the leaderboard and you know who is behind you and you try to ignore it as much as you can, but it’s kind of scary.”
Khang has made more than $5 million and has 33 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. But nailing down that first win has been elusive. Khang said after bogeying the 12th hole, she realized that South Korea star Sei Young Kim had tied her.
“I heard a roar on 13 and not knowing who it is I take a peak at the leaderboard and I see Sei Young’s name up on the top and I’m like, oh, here we go.” Khang responded nicely. She birdied the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes to card a four-under 68 and take the lead.
Kim had quite the round. The 12-time LPGA Tour winner aced the 175-yard, par 3 eighth hole with a 5-iron and added a second eagle on the short 265-yard par 4 14th. She shot a five-under 67.
Fellow South Korean Jin Young Ko is third at six-under, while England’s Georgia Hall and Yuka Saso of Japan share fourth at five-under.
BROOKE BACKS UP: It was a disappointing day for Canadian star Brooke Henderson, who was unable to follow up Friday’s nice round. Henderson carded a three-over 75 and her three rounds at Shaughnessy have been a reflection of her inconsistent year to date. Henderson, who had started the day tied for 11th, enters the final round tied for 34th at two-over par. “I’m definitely very disappointed,” she said.
“I feel like it was a good opportunity today to go out and post a good number and be a little bit more in contention come tomorrow. . .I’m a little bit upset with how my game is right now (but) I’m just grateful to be out here with all the love and support from all the fans. They made me feel a lot better about myself walking up 18. There is so much love here and that really means a lot to me.”
NOT SHARP: Hamilton’s Alena Sharp spoke of being in the zone after her first round. Sadly, that did not last. Sharp has followed her opening three-under 69 with rounds of 76 and 78 and is tied for 62nd heading into the final round. “It just wasn’t a good round at all,” Sharp said. “I didn’t drive it well and then I couldn’t make a putt. Every read where I felt like I made a good read it went the opposite way.” Sharp, who is playing mainly on the Epson Tour these days and is in the CPKC field on a sponsor’s exemption, sounded a little frustrated with Shaughnessy.
“It’s very inconsistent, some greens are soft, some greens are firm,” Sharp said. “I have hit good shots on 17 and haven’t hit the green yet. I have hit it on the front and it has rolled off the back every time. It’s the way it is and you just have to not get frustrated with it and know that everybody is going through the same thing. You can hit good shots and not get rewarded. That’s the nature of the beast this week. You have to hit the fairway.”
IN UNIFORM: Sharp got lots of applause when she donned a Canucks jersey at the par 3 17th hole, which has been dubbed 'The Rink' this week. “It was a good reaction,” she said. “I was hoping for a good reaction. I didn’t bring the Leafs jersey this year.” Making swings with the jersey on was a little challenging. “When I was trying to chip, the (Canucks) logo was brushing my arms so I tucked it into the back and I actually hit a good chip. Sarah (Bowman, her caddie and spouse) said, you should wear that for the rest of the round.”
ROUGH ROUND: Rose Zhang had a promising start to her round, birdieing the first and second holes. Not much good happened after that. The former Stanford University star played the remaining 16 holes eight over par and shot a 78. She enters the final round tied for 56th at six-over.
MARINE MEMORIES: The drive down Southwest Marine Drive this week to Shaughnessy has brought back some good memories for Yealimi Noh. The Concord, Calif., native won the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Marine Drive Golf Club. “I drove by the course (Marine Drive) a few days ago and I didn’t realize it was so close by,” Noh said after her third-round 75 at Shaughnessy. “For me, it doesn’t feel that long ago. I was 17 then and had just graduated from high school.”
Noh, who is tied for 53rd heading into Sunday’s final round, has endured a tough year after emerging as one of the LPGA Tour’s rising stars in her rookie year of 2020. She was 14th on the tour’s CME Race to the Globe standings that year and 34th in 2021. Last year was okay, 79th, but this year she is mired in 164th place. Asked if she is making progress with her game, Noh smiled and said: “I mean it feels like I have and then it doesn’t and then it does. It’s just a process and I am trying to stay positive. It’s been really tough. I try to focus on the little successes.”
Click HEREfor complete scoring from round 3 of the CPKC Women's Open.