The title race at the LPGA Tour has heated up. Earlier, it seemed Nelly Korda wouldn’t let anyone come anywhere near the silverware. The Bradenton native won six times before half the year passed. However, the 25-year-old has cooled off in more recent times, blowing the gate wide open for her peers. 

In the last seven tournaments, seven different LPGA pros have sniffed victory. Korda missed the cut in three of them and tied for 26th in her last, Amundi Evian Championship. From veterans like Amy Yang to first-time winners like Linnea Storm, have lifted silverware since June. Who’s next? 

Megan Khang thinks it’s her compatriot; the defending champion of the upcoming CPKC Women’s Open said, “I truly hope it’ll be Alison Lee. We’re very good friends and last year she came so close out of the last two or three events out of the year, at the end of the year. I’m always in her corner.”

Alison Lee has 24 career top-10s to this date, yet no victories. The 29-year-old came agonizingly close three times at the tail-end of last year. Lee had three back-to-back runner-up finishes at the BMW Ladies Championship, the ANNIKA Driven by Pelican, and the CME Group Tour Championship. Khang, of course, knows what it means to wait this long for your first silverware. 

The three-time Solheim Cupper waited eight years before defeating Jin Young Ko in a playoff at last year’s CPKC Women’s Open. Doubt creeps in, making it harder than it already is. “There were definitely nerves. I was shaking signing my scorecard,” said Megan Khang last year. A similar moment might await Lee soon.

When and if that happens, Khang wants to be in attendance. “I wish and hope she’s the next first first-time winner. You know, I’ll be right there — hopefully I’ll be at the event — celebrating that first one,” the 26-year-old said in the press conference at the Earl Grey Golf Club. 

The one-time LPGA Tour winner has obvious reasons to root for Lee. They are great buddies, as she mentioned. The duo has engaged in hilarious bets several times. 

Megan Khang earned a quick few bucks thanks to a bet with Alison Lee

Ahead of last year’s CME Group Tour Championship, Lee challenged Khang to embrace mother nature. The bet was that she had to drench herself in the rain for a full minute in exchange for $50. Later, the 29-year-old shared a clip on her Instagram story of Khang standing in the rain. Khang later reposted that caption, “Easiest $50 I ever made.”

Early this year, once again, they engaged in a fun one-vs.-one duel. Khang lost the three-hole match. As a result, she had to bring her inner LeBron James out on the greens. Donning a Lakers 23 jersey, Megan Khang impersonated James as she went about hitting golf balls in a practice round. 

At one point, she flexed her ‘slam dunk’ skills. Of course, on a golf course, that meant throwing your ball inside the hole instead of the hoop. Given their strong bond, it’s very likely that Khang would throw the first party for Alison Lee as Korda did for her.