Lauren Coughlin opened with a 5-under 67 to share the first-round lead at the Aramco Championship on Thursday alongside Nasa Hataoka and Women’s British Open champion Miyu Yamashita. Coughlin, who played 127 holes at Shadow Creek when the event was match play last year and finished runner-up to Madelene Sagstrom, said that experience gives her an advantage around the course.
The Aramco Championship, co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour and carrying a $4 million purse, has drawn many of the world’s top-20 players.
Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim finished one shot back at 68. Korda eagled the par-five 18th to salvage a late boost, while Kim recovered from a bogey at her opening hole to play the rest of the round without dropping another shot. Kim has won each of the last two weeks on the LPGA Tour, with Korda runner-up on both occasions; players have not finished 1-2 in consecutive weeks on the LPGA for 25 years.
Korda’s most recent streak of three straight wins came during a run of five consecutive victories in 2024, and that third straight win also came at Shadow Creek. On the talk of a potential three-peat this week, Kim said: “Coming into Vegas people keep telling me to win three weeks in a row. I mean, I think I’ll just try my best like usual. There is nothing else.”
Coughlin’s course familiarity could make her the one to catch. “I feel like I know this place really well. Been in a lot of the places that you don’t want to be, so I feel like I just know the spots that I need to land it to a lot of the pins, where to miss if you have to,” she said.
Watch the second round of the Aramco Championship from 11pm on Friday on Sky Sports Mix, with further coverage on Sky Sports Golf at midnight.