Megan Khang shot a five-under 68 in strong wind on Friday for a share of the lead in the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, her first event as an LPGA Tour member.
The 18-year-old Khang eagled the par-five fourth and had four birdies and a bogey in wind gusting to 48kph at the Ocean Club to match England’s Charley Hull and Japan’s Haru Nomura at eight-under 138.
“It was such a grind,” Khang said. “To come out with 68 is incredible. [I] can’t wait for the weekend.”
Photo: AFP
Hull and Nomura each shot 70.
Khang, from Rockland, Massachusetts, tied for sixth at Q-school in December to earn a tour card.
“I think my game’s at a good place right now and I definitely think I can hold my own,” Khang said. “I was confident in my game. I just didn’t know how I was going to play right now being a rookie and under the circumstances. But I’m just having so much fun out here.”
Photo: AFP
Khang, who stands at 1.55m, hits her drives in the 260-yard range.
“Sandra [Gal] was like: ‘You hit it pretty far for a little one,’” Khang said. “I was like: ‘You’re not the first one to say that.’ I took it as a compliment.”
The 19-year-old Hull closed with a birdie on the par-five 18th.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve never played the golf course with that wind before,” Hull said. “It was a completely opposite direction. So, it was good fun to play in that direction. I like it in that direction actually. It was good. [I] just have to keep patient out there. Obviously, the same for everyone.”
Nomura bogeyed Nos. 14 and 16 after getting to 10-under with a birdie on the 13th.
“[The] wind is very heavy,” Nomura said. “Some holes yesterday downwind, today into the wind.”
Defending champion Kim Sei-young was a stroke back along with Anna Nordqvist, 46-year-old Catriona Matthew and Kwak Min-seo. Kim shot 68, Nordqvist 69, Kwak 70 and Matthew 71.
“Pretty windy today,” Kim said. “The greens are a little tough and then a couple holes when I on the putting green, really strong wind.”
Paula Creamer and Kim Hyo-joo were six-under. Creamer shot 72, and Kim 70. Nine-under with five holes left, Creamer dropped four strokes with a double bogey on 16 and bogeys on 14 and 17 before birdieing the 18th.
“It was howling right to left and I was kind of in between clubs and tried to use the wind and I used it too much and I hooked it too much,” Creamer said about the double-bogey. “I was aiming literally 35 yards right, but I did too much with my golf swing. I should have hit it a little straighter.”
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis shot a 68 to move up 35 places into a tie for 10th at five-under.
“I woke up and saw the wind and actually saw it as a good thing,” Lewis said. “I knew it was going to be a hard day, but if I could shoot a good number, I could get myself back into contention, which I did.”
Cristie Kerr matched the tournament record with a 65 to jump from a tie for 95th after an opening 77 to a tie for 13th at four-under.
“After yesterday, it wasn’t looking good,” Kerr said. “It was a very difficult day and I just came out and just did it.”
Michelle Wie missed the cut by a stroke a day after being stung by a bee on the palm of her right hand. She followed her opening 76 with a 73.
Second-ranked Inbee Park withdrew on Thursday because of back pain after an 80, the second-worst round of her LPGA Tour career.
Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling shot 74 and Candie Kung carded 77 for a tie of 69th, while fellow Taiwanese Min Lee and Yani Tseng were cut from the competition.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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