They like their grub, these golfers. Lydia Ko, for instance, had been wolfing into cupcakes at Dundonald Links during the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open.
Jin Young Ko, meanwhile, has been reacquainting herself with an old favorite of hers, the Scottish sausage roll. Then again?
“I went to the cafe in Troon and ordered the sausage roll but it was just burned,” said the two-time major champion. “I texted my friends and said, ‘is this a sausage roll?’ and they said, ‘no’.”
Whatever it was that was plonked in front of her, it didn’t do Ko any harm. A four-under 68 in round three hoisted her into the top 10. By the end of the day, though, it was Lauren Coughlin who had given everybody food for thought.
A surging six-under 66 from the in-form American propelled her to the top of the leaderboard on a 12-under aggregate and gave her a slender one-shot advantage over Megan Khang heading into the closing round.
It’s been a profitable few weeks for Coughlin. The 31-year-old’s flurry of form started with a fourth-place finish in the Evian Championship, the penultimate women’s major of the season, and was followed by a maiden win on the LPGA Tour at the Canadian Open.
A solid tie for ninth in the Portland Classic prior to pitching up in Ayrshire kept Coughlin ticking along. Now, she’s on the cusp of a significant success in the game’s cradle.
On a challenging, windy day – a mere breeze in Scottish golfing parlance – Coughlin harnessed the conditions well with a bogey-free card which equaled the best score of round three.
A bag of six birdies aided the Coughlin cause as she continued to feed of the feel-good factor that her fine form has generated.
“I’ve just been feeling really good about my game,” she said. “I’ve started getting confidence and being relaxed is all I need to do.” Perhaps we should all try this laid-back approach to this game?
Back with the solo lead 💪@LCisHOOSgolfin with a birdie on the final hole to get to -12 pic.twitter.com/SqXHys6mI4
— LPGA (@LPGA) August 17, 2024
Khang, who was sharing the lead overnight, was ambling along with 11 straight pars but needed to up the ante as Coughlin barged her way to the front.
Patience was a virtue for Khang, though, and she found another gear on the run-in with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 17th in a neatly assembled round.
It’s all to play for with a round to go. “I just have to give myself the opportunities to hole birdies when I have to and get some…
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