Former Virginia Golfer Lauren Coughlin Wins LPGA Scottish Open

Virginia alumnus Lauren Coughlin secured victory at the Scottish open with a 3-under 69 on Sunday to allow her to finish 15-under par on the tournament, four strokes better than second place. The win is Coughlin’s second LPGA Tour win of the summer after her victory at the CPKC Women’s Open in July. To add, Coughlin’s performance has earned her a spot on Team USA at the Solheim Cup, the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup in which the best golfers from USA and Europe compete in a team based format.

The thirty-one year old came into the final day of competition with a one-stroke lead. Coughlin began the day on the wrong foot, recording bogeys on the third and fourth holes before recovering with a pair of birdies on the the fifth and seventh holes. After that, Coughlin maintained her composure, recording three birdies in the final five holes to secure the title with 15 under. German golfer and Olympic silver medalist, Esther Henseleit trailed close behind for the majority of the day but was unable to keep up with Coughlin, finishing second at -11.

Coughlin was born in Minnesota but grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia. At Hickory High School in Chesapeake, Coughlin was the first female to record a four-year tenure on the male golf team. Coughlin’s high school career culminated with a runner-up finish at the Girls Championship of the Virginia State Golf Association in 2009 and 2010. After that, Coughlin won the Virginia Women’s Amateur in 2012 and 2013 as well. The Virginia native then went on to play at the University of Virginia from 2011 to 2016. She captured an individual ACC championship and All-American Honors in 2016. The ACC championship victory propelled her to be ranked 31st in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

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Coughlin began her professional career on the Symetra tour in 2016 before earning her first professional victory at the 2018 PHC Classic. The win led to her earning a spot in the 2018 Evian Championships, her first major. She then finished seventh at the LGPA Final Qualifying Tournament, allowing her to join the LGPA tour.

On the tour, Coughlin earned her first victory at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open and has now followed that up with her second LPGA Tour title less than a month later.

Coughlin is married to former University of Virginia football player John Pond, who recently quit his job to serve as a caddy for his wife on the LPGA Tour.