LPGA vet Lauren Coughlin hit a hot streak, becoming the first golfer to start a round with nine consecutive birdies at the 2026 NW Arkansas Championship.
Coughlin had never shot more than six straight birdies prior to Saturday, as she capped first-round play with a career-best score of 61.
“Everything just seemed to be going exactly how far I wanted it to, right at the hole and I was putting really good putts on it as well,” she said.
Staring down Annika Sorenstam’s single-round scoring record of 59, Coughlin struggled to keep up momentum — hitting just one additional birdie to finish the tournament tied for 12th.
Japan’s Yuna Nishimura ran the leaderboard, finishing at 21-under par to lift her first-ever LPGA trophy in Sunday’s wire-to-wire victory.
