Lauren Coughlin shares the lead in a three-way tie at the well-known Shadow Creek.
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Lauren Coughlin demonstrated her knowledge of Shadow Creek by starting with a 5-under 67, placing her in a three-way tie for the lead on Thursday alongside Nasa Hataoka and Women’s British Open champion Miyu Yamashita in the Aramco Championship.
Last year, Coughlin played 127 holes at Shadow Creek during the match play format, with each match reaching the full distance. She ultimately finished as the runner-up to Madelene Sagstrom.
The Aramco Championship is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, which has relied on Saudi Arabia’s state oil company to sponsor the Aramco series that frequently draws LPGA players wherever it is held globally. This week’s total purse is $4 million, and the tournament has transitioned to stroke play.
“I feel like I know this place really well. I’ve been in many of the spots that you want to avoid, so I feel like … I just understand the areas where I need to land it for many of the pins, and where to miss if necessary,” Coughlin remarked, noting that she did not drop a shot until her final hole at No. 9.
“Yeah, it was nice not to have to play seven rounds hopefully in five days like last year,” she added.
Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim are once again positioned closely on the leaderboard. Korda made an eagle on the par-5 18th for a 68, while Kim made a bogey on her opening hole but did not drop another shot for the remainder of her round, also finishing with a 68.
Kim has secured victories in the last two weeks on the LPGA Tour, with Korda finishing as the runner-up both times. It has been 25 years since players have finished 1-2 in consecutive weeks on the LPGA.
Shadow Creek has been included in the LPGA schedule since 2021, but the previous five years featured match play. Now as an Aramco event, the renowned course attracted all players from the top 20 in the women’s world rankings.
“It’s great,” Coughlin commented on the competitive field. “And we have a really excellent golf course that challenges every aspect of your game.”
Kim won the Founders Cup at Sharon Heights in northern California, followed by the Ford Championship in Arizona last week. The 30-year-old South Korean is aiming for a third consecutive victory. The last player to achieve this was Korda in 2024 during her streak of winning five consecutive starts, with her third win that year also occurring at Shadow Creek.
Jin Yang also recorded a 68, trailing by one shot. Despite the potential difficulty of the course for players who found themselves out of position, 10 players managed to score below 70.
