IRVINE, Scotland — Lauren Coughlin rolled in a bending, 20-foot putt as a part of three birdies on the closing stretch Saturday to cap off a 6-under 66 within the Girls’s Scottish Open and provides her a one-shot lead over Megan Khang at Dundonald Hyperlinks.
Coughlin picked up her first LPGA Tour title three weeks in the past in Canada and put herself in place to lock up a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup crew.
“I’m beginning to hit the ball extraordinarily nicely, and I’m simply beginning to really feel actually good about my sport and myself and attempting to maintain it going,” Coughlin mentioned.
Khang opened with 11 straight pars, however three birdies towards the top of her spherical gave her a 69 and allowed the American to shut the hole to 1 shot.
Coughlin was at 12-under 204.
Charley Hull of England narrowly missed a protracted eagle putt on the par-5 18th. Her tap-in birdie gave her a 69 that left her three photographs out of the lead, together with Olympic silver medalist Esther Henseleit of Germany, who had a 66.
Henseleit has two Women European Tour victories and is constructing momentum from her silver medal on the Paris Olympics. She was paired Saturday with gold medalist Lydia Ko, who had a 71 and was 5 photographs behind.
Henseleit pulled right into a share of the lead by making eagle on the par-5 14th gap. Coughlin made her 20-foot birdie putt on the fifteenth, whereas the German missed her birdie attempt from 10 toes. On the par-4 sixteenth, Henseleit missed a 3-foot par putt to fall behind.
Hull opened with an 81 within the Olympics, her first time again from a shoulder harm, and performed 8 underneath the remainder of the week at Le Golf Nationwide. It was too late for the rostrum, however she figured she was discovering some type going into two weeks in Scotland.
The Girls’s British Open, the ultimate main of the yr, is subsequent week at St. Andrews.
“Go on the market, have amusing and make birdies. And if I don’t make birdies, it’s not the top of the world,” Hull mentioned.
Canadians Savannah Grewal, of Mississauga, Ont., and Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., every shot a 2-over 74 within the third spherical and remained nicely again of the leaders.
The wind eased up barely, although the temperatures had been chilly sufficient for some gamers to put on mittens between photographs.
Minjee Lee of Australia was difficult for the lead till a delicate bogey on the par-3 fifteenth gap. She responded by chipping in for birdie on the sixteenth to get inside two photographs of the lead. However on the closing gap, the place Coughlin had made birdie to succeed in 12 underneath, Lee went for the inexperienced in two and bounced into the slender burn. She made bogey for a 72 and was 4 behind.
Coughlin has had a breakthrough season, not solely together with her victory however transferring as much as No. 26 within the girls’s world rating having began the season outdoors the highest 100. Her consideration has been on the Solheim Cup. She at present is No. 4 within the standings, however a victory on Sunday in Scotland ought to clinch one of many computerized spots.
Coughlin was an All-American at Virginia. The matches are being held Sept. 13-15 on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership close to Manassas, Virginia. This could be her first Solheim Cup crew.
“I reside an hour and 10 minutes from it. It’s my house state, so I couldn’t be extra excited,” Coughlin mentioned.
