In-form American Lauren Coughlin claimed her second LPGA Tour title with an impressive victory in the US$2 million ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
Coughlin ended her campaign on Sunday with a solid 69 at Dundonald Links for a 72-hole aggregate of 15-under-par 273 (69-69-66-69), four strokes ahead of Paris Olympics silver medallist Esther Henseleit of Germany.
This was Coughlin’s second victory in her last three starts and her fourth-straight top 10 finish. Her hot streak included a fourth-place finish at The Amundi Evian Championship, a win at the CPKC Women’s Open, and a tied ninth performance at the Portland Classic.
At last month’s CPKC Women’s Open, Coughlin became a Rolex First-Time Winner in what was her 103rd LPGA Tour start.
Following a bogey-free 66 on Saturday, Coughlin took a one-shot lead over compatriot Megan Khang into the final round. Coughlin didn’t get off to the best of starts with bogeys on the second and fourth holes, but the 31-year-old bounced back with birdies on five and seven.
With Henseleit closing the gap, Coughlin rolled in back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to extend her advantage to three strokes. The American made a great par-save on 16 before rolling in another birdie putt on the final hole to clinch a four-stroke victory.
“It’s unbelievable. Two wins in three events is pretty crazy, but I just stuck in there, tried to stay as present as I could, and got some putts to drop at the end. If you would have told me, let alone beginning of this year, but beginning of last year, I wouldn’t believe this is what I’ve done and it’s incredible. It’s just how hard I’ve worked to get here, and it’s amazing,” said Coughlin.
Germany’s Henseleit followed up her Olympic silver medal performance with a solid second-place finish in Scotland.
“It was fun today. I was playing really solid. I had a little go on the back nine, but Lauren played amazing. This week and last week are giving me a lot of confidence. I’m definitely enjoying my time on the golf course at the moment,” said Henseleit, a two-time Ladies European Tour winner.
Japan’s Ayaka Furue, the 2022 champion and winner of this year’s The Amundi Evian Championship, closed with a 68 to share third place on nine-under-par with Khang, who had a disappointing final round of 74. New Zealand’s Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko settled for ninth place on five-under-par after a closing 74.
