The English trio of Charley Hull, Lottie Woad and Jodi Ewart Shadoff sit six shots off the lead heading into the final day of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, where Lauren Coughlin made LPGA Tour history.
Coughlin became the first player ever on the LPGA Tour to open a round with nine consecutive birdies, seeing her turn in 26 at Pinnacle Country Club and post the lowest nine-hole total ever on the circuit.
The American – who began her second round on the back nine – ended her run with a par at the start and then failed to capitalize on the next par-five, only to bogey the third and raise hopes of a first ’59 on the LPGA Tour since 2001.
Annika Sorenstam’s record remains safe as Coughlin closed out a 10-under 61 with consecutive six pars, moving her to eight shots under and eight shots behind leader Yuna Nishimura in Arkansas.
“I was making a lot of those mid-range shots,” Coughlin explained. “I hit everything within 12 feet on the entire front nine.
“Other than that, everything just seemed to go exactly as far as I wanted, right on the hole, and I was putting really good putts on them. I couldn’t get it close enough (in the ’round 59′) unfortunately those last few holes.”
Nishimura carded a second straight 63 to move to 16 under and take a five-shot lead into the final day over Auston Kim, Mary Liu and Michelle Zhang, with Hull, Woad and Ewart Shadoff tied for fifth at 10 under.
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Highlights from the Solheim Cup singles, where Team Europe closed out the win over Team USA
Ewart Shadoff bogeyed her first three holes on her way to a second-round 66 and Woad mixed in six birdies with a bogey to post the same score, while Hull carded a bogey-free 67 to also stay in the chasing pack.
Former AIG Women’s Open champion Miyu Yamashita is in the back-nine group that features Julia Lopez Ramirez, part of Europe’s victorious Solheim Cup squad earlier this month, while Mimi Rhodes and Leona Maguire were among the players to miss out.
Who will win the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 7pm on Sky Sports+. Get the latest Sky Sports offers OR current without contract.
