North LAS VEGAS, Nev. — After coming so close to winning at Shadow Creek last year, Lauren Coughlin made sure victory was never really in doubt Sunday in the Aramco Championship.
She won by five shots over Nelly Korda and a star-studded field for her first win in two years.
Coughlin shot a 7-under par 72, earning the 33-year-old from Virginia $600,000. He won his third LPGA Tour title and made his debut in the United States, after winning in Canada and Scotland in 2024.
“I think it means a lot because it’s after 2024 and not winning is tough,” Coughlin said. “I didn’t do it at the beginning of last year when I got a few chances and that really bothered me. I was like, ‘What if I don’t do it again? What if that’s the best golf I’ve played in 2024?’ Those thoughts were hard to imagine last year.”
Korda made another run after shooting a 75 and finishing at 2 under. She made one birdie on the par-5 18th, avoiding going out of the round for the first time since ANNIKA’s first day last November at Tampa Bay.
This was his third runner-up finish after opening his season with a win in Orlando, Florida, which elevated Korda to the world No. 1 ranking.
“I’m going to stick to what I’m doing,” Korda said. “I’m very happy with the way my game is trending, and sometimes if you work hard and push yourself, you can go the other way.”
Leona Maguire (71) also finished at 2 under, while the only other player with an under-par score was Miyu Yamashita (74) at 1 under.
Korda wasn’t the only tough opponent for Coughlin to beat. The $4 million prize money at the event organized by Golf Saudi and co-sanctioned by the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour drew 38 of the top 40 players. It’s the first event of its kind in the United States, and many seem to be coming to North America.
The players compared this tournament to the big one at Shadow Creek because it was difficult to find birds. Only four players came out below the tournament stage.
Coughlin, a two-time ACC player of the year at Virginia, showed why he feels comfortable at Shadow Creek, even though the format of this year’s tournament has changed from match play to stroke play. She made the final pairing last year before losing 1-1 to Madelene Sagstrom.
“It left a sour taste in my mouth,” Coughlin said. “Second is a good consolation, but winning is really nice.”
His comfort was evident throughout the four days on the 6,765-yard course that made players pay dearly for putting the ball in poor spots. Coughlin was within three points after the first round and did not relinquish that position as others fell.
He came close to turning the tournament into a mockery at times on Friday and Saturday, but going into the final round, Coughlin enjoyed an edge over Korda, the 2024 LPGA Tour Player of the Year. Korda finished the third round with back-to-back birdies and a clear message that he wasn’t going anywhere.
But then the final round began, and it quickly became clear where the tournament was headed. Coughlin began to pull away and all but ensured that on the eighth green he would be the one to get his hands on the trophy.
Coughlin rolled a downhill right-to-left 45-footer for birdie on par 3. Korda then three-putted ahead, including missing a 2-footer for par.
Suddenly, Coughlin was 9 under and Korda was 3 under — and the entire round was out of bounds. Korda gained four shots when Coughlin opened the back nine by bogeying the 10th and 12th holes, but Korda did the same on Nos. 13 and 15 to regain a six-shot lead.
“Not even bogeys, but you can make a lot of big numbers out there,” Coughlin said. “So I’ve been sticking to my game plan and trying to focus on continuing my routine as much as possible and making as many pars as possible.”
