MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP

November 1, 2026

Kelly Tan

Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. How was your round?

KELLY TAN: My round was okay. I'm good. I'm happy. Yeah, it's a very emotional day. Happy and sad I would say. I'm not sure what to say.

Q. You're holding two flowers, so obviously there is a lot emotions running through your head. How do you sum up the entire experience this week?

KELLY TAN: I don't think I could ask for a better event to retire my career, so I just really want to say thank you to Maybank for giving me this invite. As far as a sponsorship they've been supporting me the last few years and there is many, many more people. (Indiscernible) I've got NeoSoul who just came on board, and many, many more people. I'm sorry, I can't have everybody mentioned right now.

Thank you to everybody that have supported my career since day one.

Q. What would you say to the fans out there today who have been supporting you and following you today and throughout your entire career?

KELLY TAN: Yeah, I think they have super amazing energy and Malaysian fans are great. Even though when I was used to playing in the U.S. I used to get a lot of texts even though it's midnight over here. I know there is a lot fans that loves golf, and those are moments where, you know, when athletes don't do well, we get, hey, you can do it, it's okay, or even when we do well, you know, those messages means a lot us.

Q. Final question from me: What's next for Kelly Tan?

KELLY TAN: Well, I love golf. I'm not going to compete that much anymore. I might peek my head out once or twice every year. I have a big passion to grow the game. I eventually want to have a Kelly Tan Golf Academy. I started coaching, so I'll be running some camps and hopefully we can grew more champions from Malaysia.

Q. Tell us a little bit about the moment in the last day with your family at your side, your sister's child. Share about that one.

KELLY TAN: I think those are special because I've been playing on Tour for like 13 years and I don't think they get to watch me play or compete match at all when I'm overseas.

So to have an LPGA event at home and to have my family and friends and fans out, it's very, very special. And, yeah, I was overwhelmed and just I wish they could be there for me every day. I know they're with me when I was in the States.

Q. If you can say, what does this career meaning for you?

KELLY TAN: A lot, but let me try and find a word. I would say it's special. I definitely would have never thought as a little girl. I've always dreamed to play on the LPGA Tour. I don't think playing on Tour came easy, but I can't believe it's been 13 years either.

Now that it's 13 years by, I think it's special. It's not easy to play on Tour nor keep your card playing every year, so, yeah, I would say it's very, very special.

It's something that very small percentage of the world gets to do, something they love, let alone playing the sport they love as a living.

Q. How hard it is to let go of all of this?

KELLY TAN: It is very, very hard. I would say -- you know, I'm not totally stepping out of the golf industry. I'm very, very grateful and happy that I still have the passion for golf, for the amount of time, blood, sweat, and tears I put into this game.

I feel like being the first Malaysian to win on the LPGA Tour has always been my ultimate target. I didn't quite reach that, but my family and friends would say, hey, you played on two Olympics and playing on Tour 13 years wasn't easy. I know I've done a lot, but obviously to me I fell just shy of what I really want to achieve.

Again, maybe I'm not the person that's supposed to win the first LPGA event. Maybe Mirabel or somebody else.

The person that paved the path is as important as the first person to win, so hopefully they saw that I have gone down this road for so many years and so they can. Maybe they will be the first win on the LPGA Tour.

Q. I've seen you grow from the time you were a junior, amateur. I've seen your journey. What does this all mean to you, your entire growth and what you have become now and how you are as a person?

KELLY TAN: Yeah, I think golf kind of just shaped me as a person. I remember my very first interview I couldn't speak a word of English. I remember being terrified winning a golf tournament because I have to do medias.

I felt like through it all it's given me the strength to be brave to fail. It's okay to not be able to speak and it's okay to not play well.

I feel like because of that, I became the person I am. I feel like I'm a pretty confident person in general, and golf has taken me all around the world meeting amazing people and play good golf and put Malaysia on the map. Yeah, I feel like it's kind of like full circle but the circle is not done.

Now I have the next tasks to go do.