CALGARY — Winning was well worth the wait for Lauren Coughlin.
Playing in her 103rd career LPGA tournament since her 2018 rookie season, Coughlin finally claimed her first title at the 2024 CPKC Canadian Women’s Open.
The American golfer birdied two of her final four holes at Earl Grey Golf Club for a final round of 1-under 71 to finish the four-day tournament at 13 under.
“It’s incredible,” said Coughlin, who tapped in a short par putt on the par 4, 18th hole to record her first victory. “The adrenaline that I felt today and the emotions and everything, it was awesome.”
Due to her clutch performance, the 31-year-old from Charlottesville, Va., won US$390,000 to boost her earnings this season to $1,542,352.
Coughlin only qualified to compete on the top women’s golf circuit by virtue of finishing in a tie for seventh place at the 2017 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
“A lot of people believed in me when I didn’t,” said Coughlin, who refused to give up even though she had doubts she would ever get her first win. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
“We’ve worked really hard just for this to happen and it’s better than I think I could have imagined.”
A day after firing a tournament and course record score of 11-under 61, Japan’s Mao Saigo had a round of 69 to finish alone in second place at 11 under.
“Of course, yesterday’s 61 was how it help me come in second place, but I played hard this week — all four days,” said Saigo through an interpreter. “Being in contention this week was a great experience for me, so I like to take this experience to the next tournament and be in contention in more tournaments to come.”
Haeran Ryu, who played in the final group with Coughlin, had a disappointing round of 3-over 75 to finish in a tie at 10 under with Jenny Shin. Both Ryu and Shin are from South Korea.
A pair of sub-par rounds on Saturday and Sunday helped move Brooke Henderson up the leaderboard.
Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., followed up the 69 she shot on Saturday with a final round of 4-under 68 to finish in a four-way tie for eighth place at 6 under.
“It was a lot of fun today climbing up the leaderboard a little bit, making some birdies,” said Henderson, who had five birdies and just one bogey during her final round. “You always want a little bit more, but I’m really happy with how today went.”
Following her first two rounds of 72 and 73, Henderson was happy to bounce back with a better performance on the weekend.
“If I had cleaned up the first two rounds a little bit, I feel like I could have been right in the mix, which is a great feeling to take away,” Henderson said. “It’s awesome to finish Sunday with a minus-4 round because you feel like you did climb up the leaderboard a little bit.
"You feel you have lots of positives and confidence to take forward which is a good thing for me going into Paris in 10 days or so.”
Henderson will represent Canada in the women’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics.
Like Henderson, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp carded a 68 in the final round to improve upon the 69 she shot 24 hours earlier.
Sharp sunk a lengthy putt for birdie on the par 4, 18th hole to move her up into a tie for 14th place at 4 under.
“To get the result and play well and shoot 4-under today and make that putt on the last hole, I mean, pretty amazing way to finish the tournament,” said Sharp, who was amazed that her 47-foot putt on 18 made it into the hole.
“It was a double breaker. I just wanted to get it to the hole. When it went in, I was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ so that was pretty cool.”
Sharp’s performance in Calgary is the best showing she’s had at the Canadian Open since she finished in a tie for fourth in 2016 at nearby Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club.
The 43-year-old will also compete for Canada in Paris.
“This is the best way to go to the Olympics, I think for Brooke and I, being in Canada and having so much support here,” Sharp said. “I’m going to stay here for a few days and fly out Thursday and get there Friday and do a little bit of Team Canada watching and watch the guys (Nick Taylor and Corey Connors) play on Sunday and then get to work.”
Playing in the group in front of Sharp, Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., had a tidy round of 69 to end up in a tie for 19th place at 3 under.
“It’s always great to play here in front of the home crowd,” said Leblanc, who finished in a tie for 14th place in 2016 at Priddis Greens.
“I think every single hole, I hear people cheer for me. This is not something I get to hear every week so it’s nice to have that here. It makes the event a lot more special, so that’s why it’s my favourite event of the year each year.”
Ellie Szeryk, of London, Ont., carded a 3-over 75 to end up in a tie for 59th place at 7 over.
Savannah Grewal, of Mississauga, Ont., had a disappointing round of 78 to finish the four-day tournament at 11 over.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2024.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
