On Saturday, Lauren Coughlin wasn’t quite as sharp as she had been over the first two rounds of the Aramco Championship in Las Vegas, but her 1-over-par 73 was still good enough to keep her ahead of the field with a round to go.
Coughlin settled in at 7-under-par 209 after a round that saw her endure four bogeys to go along with three birdies. That was in sharp contrast to her first two rounds at Shadow Creek Golf Course, in which she fired 12 total birdies in building a five-shot lead.
“I felt like I did a pretty good job today of at least getting in spots, and if (() did get a little out, making sure I walked away with no worse than bogey,” Coughlin said. “As you’ve probably seen, this golf course is really, really hard.”
Perhaps the bigger story on Saturday was the push of fellow American Nelly Korda, the No. 2 player in the world, who carded a 3-under 69 to get to within two strokes of Coughlin going into the final round on Sunday.
Back-to-back birdies on Holes 17 and 18 propelled Korda closer to the lead.
“It’s good momentum, but tomorrow is just going to be another beast of a day,” Korda said.
Low scores have indeed been in short supply at the wind-swept course through three rounds. Korda’s four-birdie, single-bogey round left her as one of just three golfers to break 70, a day after Coughlin was one of just two players to score 69 or better.
“It’s a very hard golf course, and I think with the wind the past couple days it hasn’t really helped us,” Korda said. “In fact, it’s so firm, too, so it’s very hard to stop golf balls. You’re almost just playing for a run-up.
“So, there is no really advantage to being a longer hitter maybe. It’s all just about placement here.”
Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita shot matching 71s to remain in contention, tied for third at 3 under for the tournament. Yamashita was a co-leader after one round, then managed a 75 on Day 2.
Koerstz Madsen, who balanced four birdies against three bogeys, called the course conditions “fun.”
“It’s been fun. I like it here at Shadow,” she said. “It’s a great golf course. It challenges every part of the game. No, I’ve had a lot of fun out there.”
Emblematic of the higher scores, Ireland’s Leona Maguire has yet to break 70, but she’s in fifth place at 1 under after her 2-over 74.
The inaugural Aramco Championship, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, features a purse of $4 million and replaces the T-Mobile Match Play event on the schedule.
