New England crowd ‘showed up for the girls’ at FM Championship on Day 3 (notebook)

NORTON — New England fans came out in droves Saturday to watch the third round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston.

Understandably, the crowd was rather sparse on first day Thursday, was better on Friday, then picked up on Saturday’s moving day.

Asked to compare the crowd to what she’s used to seeing on Tour, Rockland’s Megan Khang said she was thrilled by the turnout thus far.

“I‘m kind of biased. I always speak highly of Boston fans, New England fans in general. Kind of a ride or die crowd of here,” she said following her round. “I had a feeling Massachusetts was going to show up for the girls and they sure are. I know it’s a Labor Day weekend, too, so for this many people to be coming when they can go on a vacation down to the Cape or somewhere else, it’s really cool to see how many people are coming out to support women’s golf.

“I would say it’s one of our bigger crowds as well,” she went on. “Again being probably biased, but I love personally having my family out there just hearing them cheer me on.”

Khang’s pairing with Lexi Thompson drew quite the following. Both started the day at 3-under par, and after shooting a 1-under-par 71, could only move up to 4-under.

Women’s golf is growing — The crowd at TPC Boston is a testament to how women’s golf has grown over the years. It’s not lost on Thompson, who turned pro when she was just 15 years old.

“I think women’s sports in general is growing dramatically. We’re getting the appreciation and coverage that’s really needed, that we deserve,” she said on Saturday. “But on the golf side of things, I turned pro in 2010. Since then the amount of TV coverage we have, purses that have been raised, and tournaments we’ve gained and sponsorships, it’s pretty amazing to see that evolve over the years.

“It’s because of the girls out here, the talent, and the way we give back to the game, and also the people behind the scenes of the tour working extremely hard and making as best they can,” she continued. “There is a lot that goes into it. I hope that it just continues to grow. We want to just grow the game and especially the tour. We want to get the kids involved in the game because it’s a special one.”

Tees moved up for Round 3 — Some tees were moved up throughout the round, which ended up requiring some added thinking for the golfers.

“Definitely required a bit more thinking involved. The drivable hole, I think No, 4, and I’m kind of blanking on the others. Definitely more gettable,” Thompson said. “On 18 if I hit the fairway I would’ve thought about going for it. Some of the par-5s there is so much around the greens, so much trouble, of course you want to hit the fairway, give yourself an option to be able to go for it. But still sometimes if you’re in between clubs just better off to layup and give yourself a wedge into the greens.”

She later added: “I think the women’s game is in a great spot. These girls are so talented. These women are so talented. I mean, (Haeran Ryu) shot 10-under yesterday. It’s incredible. I always just tell people, you have to witness how talented these women are out here. I think people don’t realize how much training and practice we put into it to build this talent. I think the women’s game is in such a great spot with tournaments and TV coverage we’re gaining. Very much deserved and moving in the right direction.

“I think it will continue to do so as long as we continue to build up this fan base and build these relationships with our sponsors.”

The 2024 Solheim Cup is fast approaching and Team USA was well-represented in Round 3 with eight of the 12 players making the cut.

Lexi Thompson: She shot 1-under for the day, and is 4-under for tournament. She started out with a bang, eagling the Par-5 second hole, but gave it back on the next hole with a double-bogey. So it was an up-and-down day for the long-time Tour pro who is retiring after the 2024 season.

Megan Khang: The Rockland native was paired with Thompson, and she also shot 1-under for the day, and is 4-under for tournament. She carded three birdies, but also had a double-bogey.

“I‘ve been very happy with how I’ve been striking the ball this week,” Khang said. “Greens are a little tricky to read. Missing them by — leaving them short dead in line definitely hurts a lot. But at the end of the day, I’m very happy. Gives me the confidence I’m reading these greens well. Just going to have to go out there and maybe be a touch more aggressive and giving my putts a chance to go by the hole.”

Allisen Corpuz: She’s three shots off the lead after going 5-under for the day. Corpuz is now 8-under for tournament.

“It was really solid out there today. Kind of a slow start,” she said. “Feel like didn’t really make a birdie until No. 7. Actually made a pretty long putt there.But overall played really solid, made some really, really good up and downs for par. Really happy with how I played today.”

Lauren Coughlin: She stands alone in second place after a dominant third round. Coughlin shot 3-under for the day, and is now 9-under after Round 3. She’s also the only player in the FM Championship to shoot all three rounds in the 60s.

“It’s always a good thing when you can shoot under par and always a good thing when you can shoot in the 60s,” she said. “I think what I’ve been doing really well is shoot consistently good scores. Nothing super crazy low or anything, but just super consistent.”

Andrea Lee, Jennifer Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel: The trio of golfers are tied for 13th. Lee shot 3-under for the day and is now 4-under for the tournament. Kupcho shot 6-under on Saturday and will be 4-under going into Sunday. Schmelzel was even par, and 4-under through three rounds.

Rose Zhang: She’s tied for 34th after shooting 3-under for the day. Zhang 1-under for the tournament.

The final round of the FM Championship is Sunday.