Lauren Coughlin showed her familiarity with Shadow Creek by opening with a 5-under 67 to move into a three-way tie for the lead at the Aramco Championship on Thursday with Nasa Hataoka and reigning British Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita.
Coughlin played 127 holes at Shadow Creek last year when the tournament went to match play, with each match going at least that distance, and she finished second to Madelene Sagstrom.
The Aramco Championship was co-sanctioned this week with the Ladies European Tour, with a prize pool of $4 million and featuring the world’s top 20 players.
Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim are side by side, at least on the scoreboard. Korda had an eagle on the par-5 18th hole for a 68, while Kim made bogey on the opening hole and didn’t drop another shot the rest of the way for a 68.
Yuna Kim has been runner-up to Korda the past two weeks on the LPGA Tour, and no player has won one or two consecutive weeks on the LPGA in 25 years.
The last player to achieve a hat-trick of tournaments in three weeks was Korda in 2024, who won it for the fifth time in a row. Coincidentally, her three-week win streak that year also came at Shadow Creek.
Mr. Kim said, “When I come to Las Vegas, people keep telling me to win for three weeks in a row. I’m just going to work hard as usual. There’s nothing else.”
Nelly Korda (left) hugs Hyo-Joo Kim (right) after winning the 2026 Fortinet Founders Cup (AP)
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Co-first-round leader Coughlin could be the player to beat given her prowess on the Shadow Creek course.
“I feel like I know this place really well. I’ve been in a lot of places I don’t want to be, so I feel like I know where to land on a lot of pins and where to miss if I have to,” said Coughlin, who didn’t drop a drop until the ninth and final hole.
Watch Round 2 of the Aramco Championship on Sky Sports Mix on Friday from 11pm. Sky Sports Golf will also be broadcast at 12am. Access or stream Sky Sports with no contract.
