Massachusetts native Megan Khang is back in town this weekend for the LPGA Tour’s FM Global Championship being held at TPC Boston.
While Khang grew up in Massachusetts, she spent plenty of time in Rhode Island working on her game at Button Hole in Providence.
“You know, growing up, before my dad picked up golf he was a mechanic in Rhode Island. On the weekends a lot of my extended family was in Rhode Island and we came across Button Hole. I would kind of drag my cousin with me so I would of a friend to go play with,” said Khang in her press conference on Wednesday morning at TPC Boston.
To this day, Button Hole kids can play and practice at the facility for just $1 until they turn 18.
Khang says that was key to her learning the game.
“Just to be able to have the accessibility that Buttonhole provides to those that may not have the financial stability to play golf, but to have $1 for a bucket, $3 to go play and overall you can spend an entire day and spend maybe $10, it’s incredible,” added Khang.
Khang notes that she is still friends with the owners of Button Hole to this day, though that relationship didn’t start until she was older.
“As I got older I got to know the owners, Ed and Karen Mauro, and we are very close friends to this day and they’re an unbelievable couple. Just a great family to do what they do and do it for the love of growing the game and making golf accessible to everyone,” said Khang.
Ed Mauro recently got a hole-in-one at Point Judith at the age of 91.
GolfNewsRI got a one-on-one interview with Khang earlier this summer, and her father, Lee, came on GNRI: The Podcast back in February.
Returning to Massachusetts
The FM Global Championship marks the first LPGA Tour event in New England since the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open was held at Newport.
It’s also the first pro golf event at TPC Boston in several years since the PGA Tour announced it was leaving.
“It’s super cool to bring an event back to Massachusetts, and for it to be a personal sponsor of mine it’s an incredible feeling. I joke I feel like the unofficial host, and I feel bad that I can’t recommend a ton of restaurants. If you do have any restaurants, send them my way and I’ll send them out. It’s pretty cool to be playing in front of a home crowd, and very excited to see a lot of familiar faces out there and just kind of show the world and show Massachusetts the talent that the girls have on tour. Very exciting overall,” said Khang on Wednesday.
Khang used to play TPC Boston during the Duetsche Bank and Dell Technologies Pro-Ams, but has not played the course much in recent years.
“For this year I only played it once right before going to Scotland up even three, four weeks ago the course was in great shape. Coming back in Scotland the past two weeks to some fresh greens, this course is in pristine conditions. Fairways are pure and greens are rolling I don’t know how fast. I think at least a 12 out there, if not faster,” said Khang.
Khang begins her first round at 1 p.m. on Thursday at TPC Boston.