LPGA Tour: Lauren Coughlin sets birdie record and Yuna Nishimura wins
Lauren Coughlin delivered a historic performance during the September schedule of the LPGA Tour, carding nine consecutive birdies to open her Saturday round at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. Her record-breaking play highlighted a month of competitive fall golf that featured wire-to-wire victories, multiple holes-in-one, and intense team competition at the Solheim Cup held at Bernardus Golf.
Lauren Coughlin’s Record-Breaking Saturday in Arkansas
Teeing off on the 10th hole during the Saturday round in Arkansas, Coughlin opened her tournament play with nine straight birdies. According to LPGA Tour records, this sequence stands as the most consecutive birdies to open a round across both the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour. She followed this streak by posting a raw score of 26 on the back nine, marking a record-low raw score for that stretch.
Although she cooled off slightly on the front nine by carding a birdie on the third hole and parring the remainder, she finished the day with a 10-under-par 61. This effort vaulted her 106 spots up the leaderboard in one of the most notable single-round charges in tour history.
Yuna Nishimura Secures Wire-to-Wire Victory
Yuna Nishimura captured her first LPGA Tour victory by going wire-to-wire at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She opened Friday with a bogey-free 8-under round featuring six birdies and an eagle, then followed with an 8-under 63 on Saturday that included nine birdies and one bogey to build a five-stroke lead heading into Sunday.
After a slower start on Sunday that saw her make the turn at even par and share the lead with Aki Iwai, Nishimura rallied on the back nine. She holed out from the bunker on the 11th hole for a birdie to regain the solo lead, rolled in an eagle putt on the 14th, and added birdies on the 15th and the final hole. She finished at 21-under-par, winning by five strokes and tying the tournament’s all-time scoring record established by Nasa Hataoka in 2018.
Aces and Approach Shots Across September Events
The weekend in Arkansas also featured four distinct holes-in-one. Mao Saigo recorded an ace on the third hole, Benedetta Moresco aced the sixth hole, and Nataliya Guseva and Yealimi Noh both aced the 15th hole. Noh’s shot was captured on camera as she mounted a late charge to finish the tournament tied for 15th at 12-under-par.
Earlier in the month at the Solheim Cup, players produced several notable par saves and approach shots. Linn Grant converted a bunker shot on the ninth hole of the opening round to preserve a 4 up lead for her team. Andrea Lee sank a 40-foot birdie putt that hit the back of the cup and dropped, while Maja Stark chipped in for an eagle on the eighth hole and later holed out from the fairway on the first hole during Saturday matches. Additional standout contributions included chip-ins and long putts from Auston Kim, Leona Maguire, Celine Boutier, Jennifer Kupcho, Lottie Woad, Linnea Strom, and Chanettee Wannasaen.