Megan Khang and caddie Kurt Moskaly have proven to be a powerful team, with their strength showing in their shared sense of humor and immense support for one another. Right now, with no spectators at a usually packed and lively Marathon LPGA Classic, Moskaly plays both caddie and major fan for his player.

“He's got to be my fan, my caddie, my cheerleader all at the same time,” said Khang with a laugh. “I always put him in a predicament where he's got five different hats on.”

The duo’s relationship is iron-clad and pandemic-tested. Until the LPGA Drive On Championship, Khang and Moskaly last saw each other at January’s Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio. After not connecting in person since then, the pair tied for 11th at Inverness Club. Khang now heads into the second round of the Marathon LPGA Classic in solo third after a bogey-free 6-under 65.

“We kind of just picked up where we last left off. Kurt and I have been working together for two and a half years and we know each other pretty well,” said Khang. “We know I do a lot of the talking and he does a lot of the listening. One ear out the other. It's just a lot of fun. A lot of conversations out there are funny and enjoyable. It's good to have a friend on the bag.”

COVID-19 ADJUSTED PLANS, BUT MCDONALD STILL FOUND WAY TO GET MARRIED

Nearly eight months ago, Ally McDonald said yes when longtime boyfriend Charlie Ewing proposed. Part of her Instagram caption included joyous hopes of seeing what 2020 would bring the happy couple, not knowing that a pandemic was right around the corner. Despite the many challenges COVID-19 posed, the two got married on May 30, becoming the rare couple to move up their wedding rather than postpone it.

“We had originally scheduled a July 31 wedding, which was going to be the Friday of the men’s Olympics. And then with everything we kind of shuffled. We really struggled with what we wanted to do,” said McDonald, a member of Team USA at the 2019 Solheim Cup. “With our season being pushed farther back, we knew it was going to be really hard to fit something in, so we just moved it up. Had a smaller gathering and ended up being perfect. We originally had a honeymoon planned for Vermont, which we didn’t get to do, but we went to Tennessee for a few days and it was perfect.”

Though the wedding wasn’t quite what the 27-year-old Mississippian had planned, with incredible patience and flexibility, she and her now-husband were able to pull everything off.

“We were just kind of struggling with like the laws and everything. We really wanted to abide by everything and get as many people as we possibly could,” said McDonald. “We waited for the numbers to get from 20 to 50 for an outside gathering and we kind of went for it. We were able to have a lot of people there that we really cared about. Now that it happened the way it did, we couldn’t imagine it being any better.”

The newlywed heads into the second round at Marathon LPGA Classic tied for fourth at -5.

LEE THANKFUL FOR VETERAN BROOKER ON THE BAG IN TOLEDO

Andrea Lee is more than excited to be competing at the Marathon LPGA Classic, as her rookie campaign continues on in 2020. The recent Stanford graduate recorded her lowest score of the year on Thursday at Highland Meadows, a first-round 67, as she awaits the second day in a tie for eighth.

Lee has a veteran presence on the bag this week helping her in caddie David Brooker. Brooker, who usually caddies for Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko, picked up her bag at the LPGA Drive On Championship, as Ko elected to remain in Korea during the pandemic. The 21-year-old said she’s thankful for Brooker’s wealth of knowledge as a young professional on Tour.

“It's really nice to have him on the bag. He has so much experience and really kept me calm out there today. Just not trying to talk about things other than golf and it was nice. So he's been a great help. Great green reader, so it's been good,” said Lee. “Honestly, he's just keeping me really lighthearted out there for the most part. He doesn't try to throw me advice here and there. Maybe some course management. Kind of learning from him a little bit and how he thinks of the course and how he manages it. Apart from that, he's just been awesome. I think we just get along really well and we have nice conversations out there. Just keeping me really positive. Yeah, he's been great.”

TALLEY PLAYING IN MEMORY OF HER GOOD FRIEND

Emma Talley wears a blue bracelet on her right wrist, emblazoned with the phrase “Pray for Cullan.” Those words brought tears to Talley’s eyes as she spoke of her childhood friend Cullan Brown, who died on Tuesday at age 20 after a year-long battle with bone cancer.

“He truly was the best, and there are no words. He was honest, humble, lighthearted, funny, witty. He’s actually really smart as well. He was a 50-year-old soul in a 20-year-old’s body,” said Talley after her round on Thursday. “He’s got the best personality in the world and cared for others. If you watch him in anything, he always said we, talked about other people, not himself.”

In June 2020, Brown caddied for Talley at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, and a month later, Brown made the cut as an amateur at the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship. But just weeks after that success, a bumped knee turned into a cancer diagnosis.

Talley played Thursday’s opening round with a very heavy heart, admitting to a near breakdown on the first tee as she thought about her friend. But as the day went on, she was able to take solace in knowing that Brown was watching over her and no longer suffering.

“Even though it was hard, I know this is the place he loved. He loved hunting and being outside and he loved golf,” said Talley, who shot a 1-over 72. “I talked to his mom last night and she said, Enjoy the walk because he would want you to. So I’m here for him.”

AIG WOMEN’S OPEN QUALIFYING UPDATE

There are 10 spots available this week at the Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana for the 2020 AIG Women’s Open, to be held Aug. 20-23 at Royal Troon in Scotland. The 10 spots will be determined by the players with the 10 lowest scores after 72 holes at this week’s Marathon LPGA Classic. In the case of a tie for 10th, a series of tiebreakers have been set to determine the final qualifier. If one of the qualifiers elects to not play in the AIG Women’s Open, the spot will not go down to the next available player. Any unused spots will be allocated to the qualifier at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open.

KHANG AND KURT ENJOY LAUGHS AND A BOGEY-FREE DAY ONE

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