By Carey Van Lue

CPKC Women’s Open

Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club | Vancouver, BC | August 24-27, 2023

Second-Round Notes

Aug. 25, 2023

Course Setup: 36-36—72, 6,604

Scoring Average: R1: 75.239; R2: 74.039

Weather: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with a bit of wildfire smoke roaming across the regions and quick rain showers in the afternoon with winds W/NW picking between 6-10mph and gusts at 14mph; Temperatures reaching 75F

Race to CME Globe Points: 500 (winner)

Purse: $2.5 million (winner’s portion is $375,000)

TV/Streaming Times: How to Watch

MEGAN KHANG HOLDS 36-HOLE LEAD IN CANADA AT CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN

On Friday, Megan Khang teed off at the CPKC Women’s Open tied for 13th having ended the day before with three-straight bogeys. Less than 24 hours later, Khang carded a bogey-free 66 in the second round at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club and enters the weekend in sole possession atop the leaderboard through 36 holes at -7 overall. An even-keel front-nine saw one birdie on the par-3 3rd along with eight pars to keep her 1-under at the turn. Starting at No. 11, Khang sunk five-straight birdies with three pars to solidify her position with Moving Day on the horizon.

“You know, today it was a solid day,” said Khang, who is holding the second 36-hole lead/co-lead of her Tour career, and first since 2016. “Yesterday, I felt pretty good myself. You know, it’s never a good feeling finishing three bogeys in a row so obviously I knew I could play some pretty good golf out here. Each day is different but, yeah, no, kind of mid-round my ball striking got pretty hot and then my putter was just getting hot as well. So just kind of like staying patient out there. The front nine felt monotonous making one birdie, but on this kind of golf course par is definitely your friend, and sometimes it’s a really good par out there.”

Lurking one stroke back of Khang is 2023 European Solheim Cup participant Linn Grant in second a sturdy 1-under 71 that included three birdies and two bogeys. 2019 CPKC Women’s Open champion Jin Young Ko finds herself in contention once again at -5 after a second-round 70 and sits in a tie for third with 18-hole leader Yuka Saso. Saso started the day with four pars until a birdie on No. 5, and then carded three bogeys on Nos. 6, 8 and 12 before an almost hole-out from the fairway on No. 13 led to her last birdie of the day. Nelly Korda rounds out the top five with her second-straight 70 in Vancouver. Korda, whose sister announced she is expecting a baby come February 2024, carded five birdies and three bogeys in her round to keep in contention.

“Pretty good,” Korda said about how she’s feeling out on the course. “I made a couple mistakes here and there, but overall one step at time it’s getting better. I would say I’ve definitely improved a good bit on the putting greens from British, so any single time I can see something, the momentum shifting, I think it feels good. Hopefully I can continue gaining from that.”

Four players sit in a tie for sixth at -3, including major champions Georgia Hall, Hannah Green and Sei Young Kim, with Wichanee Meechai in solo 10th at -2. Brooke Henderson took one of the biggest leaps of the day, vaulting into a tie for 11th following a Friday 68 after a first-round 75, the highest 18-hole score she’s ever recorded in her national open. The hometown favorite went bogey-free for the third time this season, posting birdies at Nos. 1, 5, and 6 to be the low Canadian after the first two days.

71 players made the cut at +4, including three-time CPKCWO champion Lydia Ko (T39, +2). Notables to miss the weekend include defending champion Paula Reto after shooting 78-79, along with major champions Ashleigh Buhai (+5), Paula Creamer (+10) and Lexi Thompson (+12). Muni He withdrew due to illness during the second round.

A LOOK AT THE LEADER

ABOUT THE LEADER

Rolex Rankings No. 27 Megan Khang

• Khang hit 11 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens with 25 putts
  • According to KPMG Performance Insights, she made 108 feet of putts on Friday, and made six of seven putts from 5-10 feet away
    • She went 4-for-11 from that range
  • She went bogey-free and carded six birdies including five consecutive
    • It is the first time she has recorded five-straight birdies since the 2016 LOTTE Championship (R2)
    • The last time she has recorded five-straight sub-par holes was at the 2018 Honda LPGA Thailand (R3)
  • She was one of two players to go bogey-free in the second round
• Khang’s 66 ties her season-best 18-hole score
  • She last recorded a 66 in the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship
• Her 137 is her lowest 36-hole score since a 135 at the DIO Implant LA Open
• This is the second time in her career she has led/co-led after 36 holes
  • The last time was at the 2016 Pure Silk-Bahama LPGA Classic, where she ultimately finished T11
• This is her sixth start at the CPKC Women’s Open
  • She has finished inside the top-25 in all but one start
    • Her best finish was a tie for 13th in 2019 and 2022
  • Her 66 second round ties her lowest score at this event
    • She also shot a 66 in her second round last year
• This is her 16th event of the 2023 season
  • Her season-best finish was a tie for third at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
  • She has only missed two cuts so far this season and has three top-10 finishes
  • She has clinched a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team for 2023, her third appearance in the event
• This is her eighth season on Tour
  • Her career-best finish is second, earned at the 2022 Dana Open
  • She has recorded an additional 32 top-10 finishes on Tour in her career

THINGS TO KNOW

• Not one player in the field has recorded two-straight rounds in the 60s this week
• Linn Grant sits in second at -6 after a second-round 71
  • Her 138 is her lowest 36-hole score since her win at the 2023 Dana Open
  • In Grant’s last five events, she has a scoring average of 69.44 and has shot under par in two-thirds of her rounds
    • Her birdie average is 4.44
• Jin Young Ko and Yuka Saso are tied for third at -5
  • Ko has found herself within the top five after two rounds of play only twice before this season
    • She was fourth at the Mizuho Americas Open and first at the Cognizant Founders Cup
  • Entering the week, Ko was averaging 30 feet from the hole on approach shots this season from 150-175 yards away
    • On Friday, she averaged just over 20 feet on those shots
• Nelly Korda is in solo fifth place after back-to-back 70s in her first two rounds
  • She has yet to record at least one round in the 60s in the first two days of a Tour event since the JM Eagle LA Championship in April
  • Her 140 is also her best 36-hole score since the JM Eagle LA Championship
• Brooke Henderson, who started the day T71, jumped 57 spots into a tie for 11th after a second-round 68
  • Her first-round 75 was the worst 18-hole score she has ever recorded in any appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open
  • In now 30 completed rounds in her CPKC Women’s Open combined starts, her 68 is her 17th round recorded in the 60s
  • Friday’s 68 is also her first bogey-free round since the first day at the Mizuho Americas Open
    • It’s her third bogey-free round in total this season
    • It’s her fifth bogey-free round in any CPKCWO start
• Alena Sharp and Henderson were the only two Canadians to make the cut
• World Rankings No. 1 Lilia Vu stayed even-par once again after her second-round 72
  • It is the first time she did not have at least one score in the 60s in the opening two rounds since The Amundi Evian Championship
• Three-time CPKC Women’s Open winner Lydia Ko shot two-over on the day to keep her above the cut line
  • Ko has only missed the cut at the CPKCWO once, in 2017
• 71 players made the cut at +4
  • Notables to miss the cut are defending champion Paula Reto and major champions Ashleigh Buhai, Lexi Thompson and Paula Creamer
    • Reto is the first defending champion of the CPKC Women’s Open to miss the cut since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2017 (did not start)

QUOTABLE

Megan Khang (1, -7) on how she approached this round after ending Thursday with three-straight bogeys:
“You know, I talked to my caddie, Jack, and we kind of talk about the round after each day. Yesterday, I mean, I don’t know what quite happened. I hit some errant shots. But, yeah, no, my putter kind of went cold on the par putts coming in. They weren’t necessarily too far par putts, but it’s just something you got to kind of shake off and just feel like tomorrow is a new day. Grinded today over some par putts, and, again, just trying to forget what happened yesterday because it can’t help you anymore.”

Jin Young Ko (T3, -5) on the growing crowd at Shaughnessy Golf Club:
“Yeah, a lot of people out there. I didn’t expect that much to come to watch for us, but was good, and still getting more I think. So, yeah, I can’t wait to play on the weekend in front of them.”

Brooke Henderson  (T11, -1)on the grind of trying to climb up the leaderboard:
“Sometimes it can be fun; sometime not so fun. Today was. You know, I felt good today. I felt like I could make birdies. Felt like I could get it back under par and kind of climb up the leaderboard a little bit. So today was fun. Sometimes when you’re on the wrong side of momentum, wrong side of mojo like yesterday, when I’m grinding, not so fun.”

Georgia Hall (T6, -3) on her thoughts returning to the Pacific Northwest this week:

“Really happy with the way I played. Still had quite a few chances that I didn’t capitalize on, but playing really steady at the moment. Holed some good putts. I already like this golf course. It reminds me of Portland a bit and obviously got fond memories of that. Just like the same setup. Really enjoyed it out there.”

NOTABLE

Megan Khang Climbs into Contention in Canada

Walk-and-Talk with Megan Khang

Jessica Korda Announces She’s Expecting First Child

LPGA Now CPKC Women’s Open Second Round

CPKC Women’s Open Second Round Highlights

Tim Hortons Super Fan Jin Young Ko Just Two Back at CPKC Women’s Open

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

18 holes: 62, Paula Reto (R1, 2022), Lindy Duncan (R2, 2022), Mo Martin (R4, 2018), Song-Hee Kim (R2, 2009)

36 holes: 129, Narin An (2022)

54 holes: 196, So Yeon Reyu (2014)

72 holes: 262, Jin Young Ko (2019)

COURTESY LPGA TOUR COMMUNICATIONS