As young Lottie WoadShe makes her professional debut this week at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, where veteran Lauren Coughlin achieves a personal milestone. Coughlin, who is 32 years old, will be defending an LPGA title for the first time this week at Dundonald Links.
Needless to say, Coughlin’s path to the LPGA was somewhat more challengingthan Woad’s. A background player at Virginia who participated in regional competitions during her youth, Coughlin moved to the Epson Tour after losing her LPGA membership and followed a lengthy path to victory – ultimately lifting a trophy following 103 LPGA appearances.
I believe it’s just slightly different,” said Coughlin, the late-bloomer in her journey to success on the LPGA. “I’ve had to struggle and work hard to get here. And I’m not saying that Lottie hasn’t had to do the same, but in a somewhat different way—she’s struggling and working hard to win, whereas I was struggling and working hard to gain status and maintain it.
Coughlin’s victory at Dundonald Links last year was her second win in three competitions, and she entered her first Solheim Cup as one of the leading players from America.
She has shown a slight decline since then, having missed four cuts in her past five tournaments, including the recent Amundi Evian Championship. In April, she achieved two top-3 results.
When questioned about what had changed, Coughlin mentioned that she was enjoying herself more the previous year.
I feel like I was playing much better starting at Evian,” said Coughlin, “but I just couldn’t get the ball to go in the hole. However, other than that, I think I’m trying to return to that state, being more relaxed and not trying so hard and wanting to perform so well that it sometimes causes you to tense up.
The LPGA took a break last week as the men’s British Open occurred at Royal Portrush. Coughlin spent the week with friend Maja Stark in her tiny Swedish village, but still managed to watch some of what Scheffler was doing and saying in Northern Ireland.
I believe his viewpoint is quite distinctive,” said Coughlin, “and I think it’s something we should aim for. You know, the whole idea of gratitude and his value isn’t determined by his golfing abilities. It’s about who he is as a husband and a father, and that’s really inspiring. It makes me want to be a good wife, a good friend, and hopefully a good mother someday. I don’t want my identity to be so tied to being a golfer. That’s really challenging, and I definitely struggle with it sometimes.
It’s a matter that we are deeply concerned about and we strive to excel. However, listening to him express certain ideas, you can pick up some valuable insights from him.
This piece was first published on:Lauren Coughlin’s journey to the LPGA through struggle and determination, and Scottie Scheffler’s sources of motivation
