One last time — The LPGA returns to Boston after 20 years
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, Aug. 29, 2024
Over the last two years and change, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of delivering Golf Thursday to your inboxes, and for the last time from me, Addie Parker… Happy Golf Thursday.
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(Editor’s note: it has been one of the great joys of my professional life to work with Addie Parker, an incredible talent headed for such great things in our industry. She is an incredible human being and I will be an Addie Parker fan for life. Golf Thursday will continue with a new voice soon, however. If you’d like to be considered to be that voice, email clips and resume to editors@theixsports.com.)
When I took over this cherished day from Sarah Kellam in November 2021, I had a drastically different relationship with golf—the game had become the bane of my existence during my junior golf days, but for the sake (and success) of this column I had to learn to love it again.
It’s a story as old as time, and one I’ve recounted on many occasions during my time with you all — golf and I were like water and oil, and I had some serious healing to do. Being a part of this community was cathartic for me. I set out to find my footing in the golf space, and this outlet gave me so much more than that, I was able to find my voice and a home these last two years.
And like all good things, it took time to build confidence and comfort. Joining The IX was scary. I had no prior journalistic experience or abilities for that matter, but Sarah and Howard saw something in me, and little did they know that their faith in me meant the world to a young, confused 22-year-old, fresh-out-of-college girl who was so fearful of doing the wrong thing.
I quickly learned that doing the “wrong thing” simply doesn’t exist when taking a leap of faith. Even when things don’t pan out the way you’d hoped or imagined, you’re in a better position than when you started. With every experience, you gain experience…a mantra I often repeat to myself, now more than ever as I embark on a new journey.
I’ve been so fortunate to have met and worked with so many incredible people throughout my time with The IX. The team of people Howard has brought together to tell these necessary stories is one of a kind and I’m so lucky to have learned from them and I’m beyond exciting to continue to watch this ecosystem continue to grow and flourish.
Storytelling matters, and the work that goes on behind the scenes to produce genuine, authentic stories is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of and I’m so grateful that my introduction to journalism and media was this. You all spoiled me, greatly.
We get to do what we do because of you, our faithful readers, none of this would be possible without you. Following along day in and day out, supporting us every step of the way. Thank you for being such a huge part of my career, I’m forever grateful for every single one of you.
Golf Thursday was my dream come true in every way possible.
Cheers, golf fans.
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Five at The IX: Welcome back to Boston, LPGA Tour!
The LPGA returns to Boston for the first time in 20 years…and they’ve been off to quite the start. From the Red Sox to canolis, the tour has pulled out the very best of the Northeast.
Megan Khang, a hometown favorite threw out the first pitch at Fenway on Tuesday, and got to rave about being back home ahead of Thursday’s first round.
Q: All right, welcome everyone here to the FM Championship media center. I am joined by Boston’s favorite, Megan Khang today, who I’m sure is very happy to be here with us all.
I would just kick things off with the first question. How excited are you to play here in your home in front of all these great people who I’m sure will be out with your sponsor, FM right on your chest, your arm?
MEGAN KHANG: 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.
Q. Welcome back. You were a Button Hole kid growing up. Wanted to ask you just how important facilities like that are like that in terms of growing the game and in serving communities that might not get much exposure to the game?
MEGAN KHANG: 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 Buttonhole. I would kind of drag my cousin with me so I would of a friend to go play with.
Being a Button Hole, just having a bucket of balls that was only $1 or $2, very affordable for almost anyone. Because like as I got older I didn’t realize how expensive golf can be.
So 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.
As I older I got to know the owners, Ed and Karen Morrow, 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.
Q. There has been kind of a rise in women’s sports in New England and Boston with the PWHL team, the Connecticut Sun playing at TD Garden, and the new NWSL team. Do you see the FM Championship adding to that rise? Do you hope it is? What does it mean to be part of that?
MEGAN KHANG: You know, I did hear about all the women’s sports teams coming to Massachusetts. For FM to come in and be one of the — I think the biggest purse on the women’s tour that is a non-major ou our tour championship is a huge way to get the women’s game catapulted.
Again, here in Massachusetts you have so many different tours coming — I belive you said the — oh, my gosh, was it the basketball? It’s kind of surprising that Massachusetts doesn’t have their own team. Pretty cool we’re hosting them at TD Garden.
I know Massachusetts and New England itself is a huge sports community, and to be able to bring women’s golf back after 20 something years it’s a great way to do it, and FM is doing a fantastic job coming out of the gates with a $3.8 million purse.
Q. Obviously junior golf is huge in Massachusetts and you’ve seen number of players progress into the collegiate ranks out of the state. What is it about Massachusetts golf that prepares players for not only golf now but later?
MEGAN KHANG: You know, personally I think it’s because like we have such a short golf season and we do have allege break, I think it really emphasizes quality versus quality in a sense. I know that’s how was it for me growing up. I didn’t go to college, but in a sense my dad would always be like, we have a very limited time, especially when it came to daylight savings. So we had to have a very good practice session in the sense of putting in the time and effort because the time was very short.
Just kind of having that in your mindset and making sure, you know, sometimes you’re going to have cold days, sometimes be a little snowy, a little rain, but you can’t let that stop you. You just learn to persevere through it.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I think that’s how the Massachusetts and Boston mindset is already. Letting that bleed into golf, it kind of shows the grit that us Bostonians and New Englanders have, and not just in golf, I mean every sport that we have. I grew up in the Tom Brady-New England dynasty. Watching that growing up, it’s very inspiring to see the never-give-up attitude.
Hard work goes a long way. Brady played for however many extra years that not many others would. Just the work ethic alone just shines through.
Q. The history of golf begins almost in Massachusetts. To have a tournament after 20 years come back to the state, how important is it for golf to have a professional tournament here in Massachusetts where almost it began for the United States?
MEGAN KHANG: It’s one of the best feelings to be able to say that one of my own sponsors is bringing it back to Massachusetts. We have so many amazing golf courses out here, TPC Norton being one of them.
I think the men being here for however many years and obviously the women were here for I believe it was the Welch’s Women’s Open, you know, to be able to bring a tournament back to New England, Massachusetts especially, it’s incredible just because we have such a great fan base out here.
We have amazing golf courses we want to showcase. I think it’s very important to show off the girls as well in a sense of we can play this golf course just like the men and hopefully maybe a little better.
This course is a challenge, and to show that off as well, it’s going to be a lot of fun. I hope the crowds come out and support women’s golf and just watch the talent that we have.
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