World No. 32 Outruns Nelly Korda and Rest of the Top 20 With Statement Performance at Shadow Creek
via Imago
JERSEY CITY, NJ - MAY 19: Nelly Korda of the United States at the first tee during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club on May 19, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAY 19 LPGA, Golf Damen Mizuho Americas Open EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2405194719
Lauren Coughlin is running away with the Aramco Championship. The World No. 32 built a massive five-shot lead at Shadow Creek, leaving stars like Nelly Korda in her wake.
Lauren Coughlin moved to the top of the leaderboard with rounds of 67 and 69, reaching 8-under. She started the second round tied for the lead, but the gap began to form as the day progressed.
Coughlin made birdies on the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 12th. After back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th, she added a birdie on the 16th to steady the round.
“As you can see, you can make big numbers really easily. So just try to stick to what I’ve been doing the last two days and see what happens,” she said during the press conference on Saturday, shared via TenGolf.
via Imago
RECORD DATE NOT STATED 24th July 2025 Dundonald Links, Irvine, Scotland ISPS HANDA Womens Scottish Open Golf Round 1 Lauren Coughlin looks at her club face after a poor tee shot PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK AlecxBrown
Behind her, Hyo Joo Kim and Leona Maguire are at 3-under. Meanwhile, 2024 champion Nelly Korda shot two bogeys, a double on the par-4 first, and carded 74 in the second round, dropping to 2-under.
Miyu Yamashita also moved back after a triple bogey on the 17th, joining Korda and Nanna Koerstz Madsen.
So how did Lauren Coughlin take control?
Lauren Coughlin leads by five shots after 36 holes at the 2026 Aramco Championship.
The second round brought a change in conditions with Wind gusts above 20 mph impacting scoring across the field. However, Lauren Coughlin matched the lowest round with a 3-under 69, holding her position while others dropped shots.
After a lackluster start to 2026, the defending champion has found her form. After failing to record a top-10 finish in her first three events, she missed the Asian swing due to injury. However, she made some changes ahead of the Aramco Championship.
Lauren Coughlin switched her iron and tweaked her wedge lie angles, improving her ball striking and control. Coughlin played at Shadow Creek only once last season, during the T-Mobile Match Play, and finished runner-up to Madelene Sagstrom.
So do you think anyone can catch Lauren Coughlin, or is this her tournament to finish?
Read more at Club Golf!
Written by
Aditi Singh
Edited by
Sagnik Bagchi