GAINESVILLE, Va. — Virginia alumna Lauren Coughlin makes her Solheim Cup (Sept. 13-15) debut in her home state at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Follow along for results and recaps throughout the tournament.
Friday, September 13
Match 2 | Lauren Coughlin/Rose Zhang def. Celine Boutier/Albane Valenzuela 3&2
Lauren Coughlin paired with Solheim Cup sophomore Rose Zhang jumped out to an early 1-up lead over the Europeans after birding the par-4 No. 2. The duo did not trail through the entirety of their match even after Albane Valenzuela and Celine Boutier managed to tie the match up after earning a birdie of their own on No. 9. The Americans retook their lead on No. 12 and added to it with a birdie on No. 13 to take the 2-up lead. The two never trailed again taking a 3-up lead on No. 14 after Valenzuela went for the green in two shots, and landed the ball just short of the green, in the water, and the U.S. duo made a par. Zhang and Coughlin held that until the end taking home the 3&2 victory and the second point for the Americans.
“I think — I don’t know. I think I mentally prepared myself really well,” Coughlin said about taking her first opening tee shot at the Solheim Cup. “I was pretty nervous actually yesterday. I wasn’t too bad today. I think I’d done a really good job of trying to prepare myself mentally for what I might feel. I don’t know, I think I just felt super prepared and was able to hit it right down the middle.”
Match 7 | Lauren Coughlin/Sarah Schmelzel (USA) def. Emily Pedersen/Maja Stark (EUR), 3 and 2
Paired together for their second match of the day, Solheim Cup rookies Coughlin and Schmelzel battled out a 3 and 2 victory over Europe’s Stark and Pedersen, who together won their morning foursomes match earlier on Friday. The two pairs remained tied through the first six holes on Friday – it’s just the third time that’s happened in Solheim Cup history and the U.S. Team lost each time – until the American’s drew first blood to take a lead that they would not relinquish. A birdie on 7 from Schmelzel put the U.S. 1-up and Coughlin made it 2-up with a birdie on the very next hole, the par-5 8th. The Europeans made up ground courtesy of a birdie from Pedersen on 9, but Schmezel took it back with a birdie on 10. The Americans went 3-up on 13 thanks again to Schmelzel, but it was Coughlin who closed the door. After the Pedersen made birdie on the par-3 16th, the Virginia…
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