[PHOTO: Vaughn Ridley]
Lauren Coughlin responded from heartbreak two weeks ago with an impressive victory in the CPKC Women’s Open. In her first start since the Amundi Evian Championship France – where she made a pair of late bogeys to lose the lead – the journeywoman responded by taking a commanding lead on the 71st hole in Canada with a decisive birdie on ‘the rink’.
Here’s how Coughlin won by two over Mao Saigo with a one-under 71 in Calgary to earn her first LPGA victory.
Leaderboard
Win: Lauren Coughlin (-13)
Second: Mao Saigo (-11)
T-3: Hae Ran Ryu (-10)
T-3: Jenny Shin (-10)
Fifth: Jennifer Kupcho (-8)
What it means
Coughlin earned her first career title in her 103rd LPGA start. She’s had an up-and-down career, losing full-time status after her 2018 rookie season. The 31-year-old didn’t earn a full-time card back until 2022, when a T-16 in the final full-field event of 2021, the Pelican Women’s Championship, pushed her to 97th on the CME points list to guarantee status for the next season.
The win nearly ensures that the Virginian goes from career uncertainty three seasons ago to a spot on the American Solheim Cup roster. She will play near her home in Gainesville, Virginia, at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The US team will be finalised after the AIG Women’s Open on August 22.
The winner’s cheque of $US390,000 pushes her earnings to $1,542,452 this season, more than half of her career total ($2,409,549).
How it happened
After a slow back nine from the final pairing, an unexpected three-way tie with two to play emerged between Ryu, Coughlin, and Saigo. Ryu and Coughlin were four clear of the field at the start of the final day, but each made their first birdies of the inward side on the 15th hole. Coughlin bogeyed the 10th and Ryu double-bogeyed the 11th.
Ryu’s crucial misstep on the 16th gave Coughlin a chance to seize the lead on the next hole. Ryu, the only player of the trio with an LPGA title, three-putted from 10 feet for bogey on the 16th, running the first putt six feet past the cup. Saigo charged up the leaderboard with birdies on holes eight, 10, 14 and 15.
Coughlin broke away for a two-shot lead on the 178-metre par-3 17th known as ‘the rink’ with an ice hockey-style rink lining the tee. As the final group watched, Saigo chunked her greenside chip before two-putting for a bogey to drop to 11-under. Ryu’s tee shot hung up short on the fringe short left of the cup, leaving a testy lag putt. Coughlin parked her approach to eight feet.
“It was kind of a ‘tweener of a club,” Coughlin said. “I could really only hit 6 [iron] and I needed to take some off it or else it might have gone over, especially considering how jacked up I was at the time.”
Coughlin drained the putt, making her first birdie since the par-3 fifth. The world No.38 dominated the short holes all week, going eight-under on the par 3s at Earl Grey Golf Club. Ryu missed her par bid to fall two behind.
The 23-year-old ended up closing with three consecutive bogeys, falling just short of victory in back-to-back events. With four to play at last week’s Dana Open, Ryu was tied with Chanattee Wannasaen, but a bogey on the 70th hole put her a shot behind the eventual winner.
“I can only remember my mistakes from the last couple holes, but there is always next time, so I’ll do my best next,” Ryu said.
Aussie watch
Hannah Green closed with a 74 that dropped her into a tie for 14th. Hira Naveed’s 73 saw her dip to equal 19th, while Minjee Lee (T-37), Sarah Kemp (T-39) and Robyn Choi (T-59) finished well down the leaderboard. Gabi Ruffels, Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou missed the cut.
Best of the rest
Saigo’s record round of 61 on Saturday helped expand her Rookie of the Year lead to 95 points. Her 10-under day, a career and tournament-best score, bolted her from T-46 to T-3. The Japanese pro carded a closing 69 to finish in second for the best finish of her debut LPGA campaign.
Rose Zhang (T-6), Brooke Henderson (T-8) and Lydia Ko (T-8) all head to the Olympics with the momentum of a top-10 finish. The women’s competition runs from August 7-10 at Le Golf National in Paris, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Quotable
“I think just my story in general just shows that I’m always trying, always will try to do things,” Coughlin said. “I am willing to stay in it. I don’t give up. I think I showed that perfectly today.”
