Kelly Tan made a massive splash in her first-ever match-play tournament when she defeated fourth seed Danielle Kang 7-and-5 at the Bank of Hope Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards at Shadow Creek, Las Vegas one of the toughest tracks in the United States for 64 of the world’s greatest female golfers.
Tan won six consecutive holes from 5-10, building a 7-up lead over the American Solheim Cup star, who has been battling a back injury for the last month.
“I thought I played really well today, gave myself lots of chances. Yeah, we played against Danielle today and it didn’t seem like she, it looked like she was in a little bit of pain, which, I felt a little bad,” said Tan, a two-time Olympian.
“Me and my caddie were just trying to focus on my game. The end goal is to win the match and we did, and I’m super proud of the way I played,” added Tan.
Kang admitted that if this event weren’t so close to her Las Vegas home, or part of her personal sponsor family, she likely wouldn’t be teeing it up this week. But, after a month of treatment and rest to remedy her ailing back, she looked to the match-play format on a familiar home course to test her strength in competition ahead of next week’s U.S. Women’s Open.
“I’m just doing everything I can off the golf course to get me through the days and to get back to where I was, and it’s going to take some time,” said Kang, a member at Shadow Creek.
“It’s going to take some patience and time for everybody. I just need to thank my team for getting me here. It’s a little win that I have to take right now.”
Kelly Tan’s next match will be against Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn.
