Megan Khang wins CPKC Women’s Open in playoff for 1st LPGA title

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Megan Khang wanted an additional gap to win her first LPGA match in 191 profession begins.

Andrea Lee agonizingly watched the leaderboard for almost an hour to see if she would play on the Solheim Cup group for the primary time.

It was definitely worth the look forward to each.

Khang beat Jin Young Ko with a par in a playoff for her first LPGA win, and Lee rallied to clinch a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup group on the CPKC Girls’s Open on Sunday.

“My recreation has been trending in the precise route these days and I believe this simply provides the self-confidence that, hey, I can win out right here,” Khang stated. “I’ve gained out right here now.”

After struggling many of the afternoon, Khang made a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th gap at Shaughnessy Golf and Nation Membership to pressure the playoff. Ko hit her tee shot on the primary playoff gap into the hazard left of the golf green and took a double bogey after a penalty shot.

The 25-year-old Khang hit her second shot to the perimeter left of the pin on 18 and two-putted for her first win in eight years on the LPGA Tour, giving her caddie a large enormous after it dropped. She shot 2-over 74 within the closing spherical to complete at 9-under 279 and claimed her long-awaited victory.

“There have been positively nerves,” Khang stated. “I used to be shaking signing my scorecard. I triple-checked that scorecard to ensure every part was right and we did signal.”

Lee wanted to complete thirteenth to earn one of many seven automated qualifying spots for the U.S. group. She simply missed a birdie on 18 to shoot 70 within the closing spherical, leaving her eleventh at 2 beneath with a number of gamers nonetheless on the course.

After an almost hourlong wait, Lee tied for thirteenth, incomes a spot within the Sept. 22-24 matches in Spain.

“I have been taking part in actually strong golf, and this course requires hitting fairways and hitting greens, attempting to make as many birdies as potential,” Lee stated. “I simply tried to remain actually affected person on the market and put a strong spherical collectively at this time.”

Lexi Thompson earned the eighth U.S. Solheim Cup spot primarily based on world rankings regardless of lacking the reduce by eight photographs.

The ultimate spot will come all the way down to former Stanford star Rose Zhang, Angel Yin and Ally Ewing. Zhang and Yin had been forward of Ewing on the earth rankings heading into the match, however Ewing completed tied for twenty second, whereas they tied for forty first.

Lilia Vu, winner of the Chevron Championship and AIG Girls’s Open, and U.S. Open champion Allisen Corpuz had Solheim Cup spots locked up earlier than the CPKG Girls’s Open. So did Khang and Nelly Korda.

Jennifer Kupcho completed tied for thirty sixth and Danielle Kang tied for 59th to spherical out the top-seven qualifiers. U.S. captain Stacy Lewis will make the ultimate three picks on Monday.

Lee’s end created a ripple impact on the Solheim Cup standings.

Thompson dropped to eighth on the U.S. Solheim Cup factors listing, however nonetheless made the group because the third-highest ranked American at No. 21 on the earth.

Thompson certified totally on factors earned throughout a 2022 season that included 4 runner-up finishes — one on the KMPG Girls’s PGA Championship. She’s made the reduce twice in 9 tournaments this yr and, at No. 157 on the LPGA factors listing, will doubtless lose her full-time LPGA card for subsequent season.

“Golf is such a person sport it helps to have somebody with expertise to assist out and work together with the opposite gamers,” Thompson instructed Golf Digest earlier within the week. “I hope to deliver energy and willpower, too, and being there for the opposite ladies.”

Ko began the day 5 photographs again and rallied to tie Khang with a birdie on No. 16.

Main by one after Khang’s bogey at 17, Ko hit her tee shot on No. 18 alongside the tree line to the precise, however acquired up and down from the tough for par to complete at 9 beneath. Khang then hit her strategy shot on the par-4 18th to 4 toes, giving a brief fist pump after sinking the putt to pressure the playoff.

“I did not anticipate I might play within the playoff, as a result of [I was] 5 photographs behind Megan, however I do know if I acquired plenty of birdies it could be likelihood to win,” Ko stated.

Ruoning Yin shot 66 to complete third at 7 beneath.