Lauren Coughlin just absolutely went off on the greens, posting the lowest nine-hole score in LPGA history on Saturday! Seriously, she birdied *every single hole* of her opening nine at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. That’s a ridiculous 9-under 26 for those nine holes. Talk about being dialed in!
She Rewrote the Record Book, Twice!
This wasn’t just some hot streak. After her historic opening nine, Coughlin went on to par her 10th hole, which was the par-4 first at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas. That single par was enough to also tie the LPGA record for consecutive birdies. Think about that for a second: she didn’t just break one record; she tied another right after. It’s unreal how locked in she must have been. And get this, even with that insane record nine, she was still sitting at 7 under for the tournament, a full nine shots off the lead at the time. Japan’s Yuna Nishimura set a blazing pace, opening the event with back-to-back 63s. That’s some serious competition!
How Wild Was This Performance, Really?
To put Coughlin’s performance into perspective, consider this: Amy Yang was the only other player in LPGA history to birdie every hole on a single nine. Yang did it with a 9-under 27 on her back nine during the final round of the 2015 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. Yang was one of five players who had carded 27 for nine holes, with Mi Hyang Lee also hitting 9 under in the 2016 Founders Cup. So, Coughlin’s 26 really stands out. And it’s not just the LPGA where this kind of play is rare. The PGA Tour record for nine holes is an 8-under 26, set by Corey Pavin way back in 2006 at the U.S. Bank Championship. Even the all-competition record, which is Jamie Kureluk’s 11-under 25 from the 2010 Aberta Open, shows just how incredible a 9-under 26 is. For consecutive birdies, Mark Calcavecchia and Kevin Chappell share the PGA Tour record with nine, exactly what Coughlin just matched. This is elite company, folks.
Looking ahead, Coughlin has shown she can absolutely go low. What kind of momentum can she build from this historic round? She’s clearly got the game to make moves. We’ll be watching to see if she can climb that leaderboard and put some more pressure on the leaders.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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