American Lauren Coughlin is having the best season of her LPGA Tour career. So far this year, she has earned four top-10 finishes, including career-best finishes of T3 and solo fourth at two of the season’s major championships, The Chevron Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship, respectively. Continuing that run of strong play, Coughlin claimed the first-round lead at the CPKC Women’s Open with a 4-under 68. This is the third time she has held an opening-round lead on Tour, and it’s her second time doing so this season, following her hot start at The Chevron Championship.
“Pretty much ever since Evian, I've been hitting the ball extremely well,” said Coughlin when asked if she has carried her good momentum into this week in Canada. “To keep it going even in an off week felt really good. It's just trying to be myself and have fun and then see what I shoot.”
Shooting the best round of the day, Coughlin battled tough conditions and a difficult setup at Earl Grey Golf Club – the first-round scoring average was 74.481 overall – to come out on top after Thursday play. Starting on the 11th hole, the 31-year-old made eight straight pars before sinking her first birdie after the turn. Taking advantage of the par 5s, Coughlin made birdies on holes one and four, adding another on the par-3 5th. Her lone bogey of the day came on six, but she made up for it and then some with two more birdies on eight and nine. She ended the day as she started, with a final par on No. 10.
“I think I was just super patient. Got a little, I would say, a little impatient to start. I started out with a lot of pars there to start,” Coughlin laughed. “But my caddie just said to me, ‘It's playing tough. They'll come.’ So just stuck in there. I started making a bunch of 12-, 15-footers. That's always good.”
After Coughlin took the clubhouse lead early in the day, several players tried to catch up but were hindered by increasing crosswinds and fluctuating temperatures. At the end of the day, four players are tied for second at 3-under, including multi-time LPGA Tour winners Hannah Green, Jennifer Kupcho, Minjee Lee and Ariya Jutanugarn, the last of whom is a past CPKC Women’s Open champion. In fact, Jutanugarn won the 2016 playing of the event, which was also held in Calgary.
“I would say I always have great memory from Canada, so I love to be in Canada. Of course, I won in 2016. I feel like I couldn't remember because so long ago. That moment is just always in my best memory because that year I won five tournaments, and that was my fifth tournament,” said Jutanugarn, reflecting on her 2016 victory. “I remember that week is after the Olympics, so I kind of a bit struggle because I didn't play well at the Olympics. When I came to Canada, I feel so much better.
“That week, I think I don't expect anything. I just want to play some good golf. When you don't have expectations, I think the outcome is just surprise you.”
Three-time CPKC Women’s Open winner Lydia Ko sits in a tie for sixth after the first round, alongside American Alison Lee and the Korean contingent of Jenny Shin, Hye-Jin Choi and Haeran Ryu, who is coming off a runner-up finish at last week’s Dana Open.
Several Canadian players had solid rounds on Thursday, the best of which came from LPGA Tour rookie Savannah Grewal and Tour veteran Maude-Aimee Leblanc, who both posted 1-under 71s. Fan favorite Brooke Henderson shot even par to open her week at Earl Grey Golf Club.