GAINESVILLE -- Virginia State Golf Association manager of media and communications Chris Lang is on site this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club for the 19th playing of the Solheim Cup. Check throughout the day for nuggets, scenes, and news from on the ground at RTJ.
Another win for Coughlin as U.S. takes 8-4 lead
Here's the list of American players who have started their Solheim Cup careers 3-0: Beth Daniel (1990), Pat Hurst (1998), and Lauren Coughlin (2024).
Coughlin added her name to the list on Saturday morning, partnering with superstar Lexi Thompson for a 4 & 3 win over Georgia Hall and Maya Stark in foursomes play. After Thompson hit a sterling approach to six feet on No. 15, Coughlin sank the birdie putt to clinch the match. Coincidentally enough, Hurst was in attendance and following the Coughlin match as her side played the 13th hole, on which Coughlin nailed a long putt for birdie to putt immense pressure on the European side.
If it wasn't for the stellar play of world No. 1 Nelly Korda, it would be easy to argue that Coughlin has played the best golf of any American at this Solheim Cup. Her respective sides have yet to trail in any of their three matches. The Chesapeake native has shown little in the way of weakness, with every part of her game working from tee to green. She set Thompson up for easy birdie putts several times on Saturday morning with terrific iron play. And when she was called upon to hit clutch putts, she did so.
All in all, a perfect week thus far, with plenty of friends, family, UVA fans, and golf fans in Virginia cheering her on.
"It's been incredible," Coughlin told Golf Channel after her round. "In the beginning of the week, it was so busy and I couldn't wait to get to Friday and then it was Thursday night and I was like, man, I wish I would have enjoyed a week a little bit more, it just went by so fast. But it's been awesome, and I've been enjoying every minute."
No U.S. rookie has ever gone 4-0 at the Solheim Cup. Coughlin will get that chance in Sunday's singles session.
As for Saturday afternoon, Coughlin will get some well deserved rest. True to her word earlier this week, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said none of her players would play in all four partner sessions. Coughlin and Korda, who is also 3-0 this week, will sit this afternoon. The four-ball pairings:
- 12:05 p.m. – Anna Nordqvist/Madelene Sagstrom (EUR) vs. Alison Lee/Megan Khang (USA)
- 12:20 p.m. – Linn Grant/Celine Boutier (EUR) vs. Andrea Lee/Rose Zhang (USA)
- 12:35 p.m. – Carlota Ciganda/Emily Pedersen (EUR) vs. Ally Ewing/Lexi Thompson (USA)
- 12:50 p.m. – Charley Hull/Georgia Hall (EUR) vs. Allisen Corpuz/Lilia Vu (EUR)
So about yesterday...
Good morning from the press center. It's a little after 6 a.m. The music is blaring outside. It looks like people are finding their way to the first tee grandstands. It's a stark contrast to yesterday, which, quite frankly, can only be called a disaster for the LPGA and its flagship event.
A little bit of a mea culpa from my end. My post yesterday was a little all over the place because you can get a little insulated when you're working in a press room away from everything that's happening on the outside. But reports trickled in early that there was a brewing transportation disaster. Even our staff Teams chat was littered with it as some co-workers tried to navigate the situation. What we know: Parking for both volunteers and fans were at the same spot -- Jiffy Lube Live, which at the best of times is 20 minutes away from the RTJ entrance via bus. Only seven shuttle buses, each with about a 50-seat capacity, were running. Lines were extensive. Bathrooms were unavailable, save for one. And volunteers were able to jump the line because they were considered priority to get to the golf course for their shifts.
The messaging from the LPGA's end was not ideal. There was a vague mid-morning tweet apologizing for the situation but little else. But damage had already been done. The grandstands for the first tee shot at 7:05 a.m. were at best three-quarters full. As I walked the course in the morning to watch Lauren Coughlin and Rose Zhang's match, I found it surprisingly easy to find clear viewing vantage points near greens. Turns out that'll happen when the venue is only half full. The LPGA did seem to act quickly to rectify the situation, as RTJ was absolutely rocking for the afternoon four-ball matches. But criticisms for yesterday morning's missteps are absolutely warranted. First impressions mean a lot, and anecdotally, I know of several people who were interested in coming out for the weekend but were questioning that decision after hearing of the issues both on Thursday evening and Friday morning. It's never good when the big news coming out of your signature competition has nothing to do with the competition itself.
The LPGA offered this statement just before 9 p.m. on Friday:
We have taken significant steps to address Friday morning’s transportation challenges:
- Beginning tomorrow, gates will open at 5:30 a.m. with buses running from Jiffy Lube Live starting at 4:30 a.m. to better accommodate early arrivals.
- We have significantly increased the number of shuttle buses and have developed more efficient loading and unloading processes to expedite departures.
- In addition, volunteers will now park at a separate location, with their own dedicated shuttles, to ease congestion for spectators.
We apologize again to any fans whose enjoyment of the event was impacted by transportation delays. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our fans and look forward to a great weekend of spirited competition.
We can only hope the story shifts to the golf, which has been quite good thus far. The U.S. enters today up 6-2, and the morning foursomes are set to go begin soon. The schedule:
- 7:05 a.m. – Emily Pedersen/Carlota Ciganda (EUR) vs. Allisen Corpuz/Nelly Korda (USA)
- 7:17 a.m. – Esther Henseleit/Charley Hull (EUR) vs. Ally Ewing/Jennifer Kupcho (USA)
- 7:29 a.m. – Maja Stark/Georgia Hall (EUR) vs. Lexi Thompson/Lauren Coughlin (USA)
- 7:41 a.m. – Anna Nordqvist/Celine Boutier (EUR) vs. Lilia Vu/Sarah Schmelzel (USA)