NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — After coming so near victory at Shadow Creek final 12 months, Lauren Coughlin made certain victory was by no means actually doubtful at Sunday’s Aramco Championship.
She received by 5 strokes over Nelly Korda and different stars, her first championship in two years.
Coughlin shot an even-par 72 for a complete of seven beneath, and the 33-year-old Virginia native received $600,000. She received her third LPGA Tour title and first in the US since profitable in Canada and Scotland in 2024.
“I feel it means extra as a result of it is exhausting to not win after 2024,” Coughlin stated. “Final 12 months, I had a couple of alternatives in the beginning of the 12 months and I did not make it, and that bothered me quite a bit. I believed, ‘What if I do not make it once more? What if it is one of the best golf I’ve performed in 2024?'” Final 12 months, I could not assist however have these ideas. ”
Korda shot a 75 to complete at 2 beneath and take second place once more. She had one birdie on the par-5 18th, avoiding a spherical with out a birdie for the primary time because the opening day of Annika within the Tampa Bay space final November.
That is the third consecutive 2nd place since opening the season with a win in Orlando, Florida, and Korda has moved as much as No. 1 on the earth rankings.
“I simply keep on with what I am doing,” Korda stated. “I am actually pleased with how my sport is trending. Generally after I push myself too exhausting and get exhausted, I am going one other route.”
Leona Maguire (71) additionally completed with 2 beneath par, leaving Miyu Yamashita (74) with 1 beneath par the one one to attain beneath par.
Korda wasn’t the one powerful rival for Coughlin to beat. The occasion, sponsored by Golf Saudi and co-sanctioned by the LPGA and European Ladies’s Tour, had a prize pool of $4 million and attracted 38 of the highest 40 gamers. That is the primary such occasion in the US, and it seems like extra occasions will probably be held in North America.
Birdies have been so exhausting to return by at Shadow Creek that gamers likened the event to a serious. Solely 4 gamers completed beneath par within the event.
Coughlin, a two-time ACC Participant of the 12 months on the College of Virginia, confirmed why he feels snug at Shadow Creek regardless of the format of this 12 months’s event altering from match play to stroke play. She was final matched final 12 months earlier than dropping 1-up to Madeleine Sagstrom.
“It left a bitter style in my mouth,” Coughlin stated. “Second place is a pleasant comfort, however profitable is actually enjoyable.”
Her consolation was evident all through the 4 days across the 6,765-yard course, the place gamers pay dearly for placing the ball in dangerous positions. Coughlin was in a three-way tie for first place on the finish of the primary spherical and held on to his place whilst different fighters slipped within the standings.
On Friday and Saturday, she got here near turning the event right into a laughing inventory, however going into the ultimate spherical, Coughlin loved only a two-stroke lead over Korda, the 2024 LPGA Tour Participant of the 12 months. Korda completed the third spherical with back-to-back birdies, sending a transparent message that he wasn’t going anyplace.
However then the ultimate spherical started and it rapidly grew to become clear which course the event was going to take. Coughlin started to tug away and was virtually sure she would put her hand on the trophy on the eighth inexperienced.
Coughlin made a 45-foot shot downhill from proper to left on the par 3 for birdie. Korda then proceeded to make three putts, lacking 2 ft for par.
Out of the blue, Coughlin was at 9 beneath and Korda at 3, and the remainder of the spherical was only a formality. When Coughlin began the again 9 with bogeys on the tenth and twelfth holes, Korda was inside 4 strokes, however Korda adopted with related bogeys on the thirteenth and fifteenth holes to as soon as once more be six photographs behind.
“I can put up lots of massive numbers, not simply bogeys,” Coughlin stated. “So I attempted to stay to my sport plan, keep as routine as attainable and give attention to getting as many pars as attainable.”
