Lauren Coughlin came up just short in The Woodlands, Texas, missing out on her first LPGA Tour win after finishing three shots behind two-time major champion Nelly Korda in a tie for third with Brooke Henderson. But she jumped 43 spots in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings from No. 94 to No. 51, the highest ranking of her career.
Coughlin has competed on the LPGA Tour since 2018 and made her 11th appearance in an LPGA Tour major championship last week at The Club at Carlton Woods. The American made the cut in just two of her 10 previous major starts before last week, finishing T15 and T16, respectively, in the 2023 and 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
The LPGA Tour veteran has played solidly the past few weeks and is beginning to see her hard work pay off. Leading up to The Chevron Championship, she made it to the weekend in six of her seven starts this season, most notably finishing a tie for eighth at the Ford Championship presented by KCC in March.
"It's cool to see all of the work that I've put in, especially with my putting and my short game, and putting specifically showed off this week," said the 31-year-old. "I know my stats have never said that I was a very good putter, but I didn't feel as bad as what they said. I really struggled with speed control, and about eight weeks ago, my former assistant coach, Brian Bailey, gave me this drill to do. He's been trying to get me to do it for years, and I finally listened."
The University of Virginia alum's emotions were high following her career-best finish on the LPGA Tour, and she knows what that solid finish means in a Solheim Cup year.
"I hope I can use it as momentum. Solheim is my main goal this year,” said Coughlin, a Charlottesville, Va. native. “It's an hour up the road from my house where I live in Virginia. Not only getting to represent my country, but my state would mean a lot. That's what I'm focusing on, really trying to work on for this year."
With her second top 10 of the season, Coughlin has been steadily climbing in the U.S. Solheim Cup Team point standings. With her tie for third in Texas, she jumps from 13th to ninth in the U.S. Team rankings and moves from 41st to 12th in the Race to the CME Globe standings. She also currently ranks fifth on the Official Money List with $555,956 earned this season.
Brooke Henderson On the Rise
Brooke Henderson carded a final-round 72 in Texas and came three shots short of matching Nelly Korda's four-day total of 13-under. But the Canadian’s T3 finish pushed her up seven spots to No. 5 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, the first time she’s been in the top five since September 2022.
The two-time major champion has made eight cuts in eight starts this season, earning four top-10 results in addition to her tie for third in Texas. She earned a third-place finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, a tie for ninth at the Honda LPGA Thailand, a tie for third at the HSBC Women's World Championship and a tie for ninth at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.
The Canadian has competed on the LPGA Tour for nine seasons, capturing 13 wins and 78 career top-10 finishes, and making nearly $13 million in career earnings. But her success last week could be a breakthrough moment that propels her up a couple of notches, one that could see her back in the winner's circle for the first time since the 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
“It's great to be contending and in the final group. It's so much fun,” said the 26-year-old. “The crowds were amazing all week, and just to be in it and to feel that kind of adrenaline and excitement is really awesome. Hopefully, I can keep moving forward. My game is right there. Just need a couple of breaks and fine-tune a few things, and hopefully, I'll be able to lift a trophy soon.”
Epson Tour's Race for the Card Continues in California
The Race for the Card continues as the Epson Tour tees it up in the Golden State for the first event in a three-week stretch out West, with players vying for 500 points as they pursue their LPGA Tour cards.
Valery Plata remains atop the standings with 577 points after capturing her first Epson Tour win at Florida's Natural Charity Classic. Epson Tour rookie Briana Chacon went from unranked to a tie for second with Jessica Peng after her victory at the Atlantic Beach Classic, each having 500 points. Ana Belac is currently in fourth with 430 points, while Kim Kaufman rounds out the top five, moving from No. 11 to No. 5 with 404.667 points after finishing in a tie for second at Atlantic Beach Country Club.
After a month-long break, Miranda Wang is set to defend her title at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Beaumont, Calif. The People's Republic of China native has only competed in two events so far this season and is currently ranked No. 63 in the Race for the Card standings. But she’ll still be looking for a repeat performance this week at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.
The 25-year-old captured her lone Epson Tour victory as a rookie in 2023, winning by one shot over Natasha Andrea Oon at the IOA Championship, and earned three additional top-10 results, ultimately finishing 15th on the Official Money List, five spots shy of earning LPGA Tour status for the 2024 season.
The Race for the Card is a season-long points competition in which Epson Tour members accumulate points in every official Epson Tour tournament. The ultimate goal is to finish in the top 15 in the point standings to earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2025 season. The point-based system, which is new on the Epson Tour this season, replaces the money-based system and will award points to those who make the cut weekly.
The 2024 season will also be the first year that Epson Tour athletes will vie for 15 LPGA Tour cards. They will be awarded after the season-ending Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, Calif., this fall.
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