Lauren Coughlin holds a 5-stroke advantage at Shadow Creek during a windy round.
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Lauren Coughlin maintained her impressive performance at Shadow Creek despite challenging windy conditions on Friday, shooting a 3-under 69 and establishing a five-shot advantage.
Coughlin stands at 8 under. Hyo Joo Kim kept her chances for a third consecutive LPGA Tour victory alive with a 73, tying with Leona Maguire (71) at 3 under.
Coughlin began the day tied for the lead with two others after an opening round of 67, but has now gained a clear lead. She nearly secured victory here last year during a match-play event, ultimately losing to Madelene Sagstrom in the final pairing.
Coughlin is once again in a strong position. However, despite her significant lead, she remains cautious.
“There is a lot of golf to be played,” Coughlin stated. “As you can see, you can easily make big numbers. So I will just try to stick to what I’ve been doing the last two days and see how it goes.”
Wind gusts exceeding 20 mph created a challenging round. After 26 players recorded under-par scores the previous day, only 11 managed to do so on Friday, making the scenic yet demanding course even more difficult, almost concealed from the Las Vegas Strip.
“It’s almost bordering on a U.S. Open-style setup,” Maguire remarked. “You can see how few players are under par. It feels a bit like a major without actually being one.”
Miyu Yamashita experienced the full impact of the conditions. After reaching 5 under with two holes remaining, she found the water on the par-3 17th and took three shots to reach the green. The triple bogey dropped her to 2 under, tying her with second-ranked Nelly Korda (74) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70).
Korda, who claimed victory in this event two years ago, faced difficulties on the back nine during her second round, recording two bogeys and a double on the par-4 first hole.
The top 20 players in the world entered the Aramco Championship, likely drawn by the $4 million purse in the tournament’s inaugural year as a strictly stroke-play event. This competition is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.
Coughlin made birdies on Nos. 7, 8, 10, and 12, including a 50-foot putt on No. 8. However, she bogeyed the par-4 14th and 15th holes, which interrupted her momentum and allowed others to close the gap. Coughlin then made a crucial 25-foot putt for a birdie on the par-5 16th.
“Yeah, definitely kind of helped smooth things out there towards the end,” Coughlin noted. “I felt like I was playing well, especially those two holes before that. I think the best way to describe this golf course, particularly when it gets windy, is that it’s so easy to make bogey. One small mistake and you’re making bogey. Maybe even worse.”
Amelia Garvey made the most significant improvement, following an opening 79 with a 69, despite a triple bogey on the par-3 17th. This brought her to 4 over, sufficient to make the cut at 7 over.
