PAUL PIERCE JR . |
She went from struggling as a rookie in 2018 just to maintain her card to winning twice on the LPGA Tour in 2024 and starring for the United States in her home state , going 3-0-1 to help the U . S . win the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017 .
A late bloomer in every sense of the term , Coughlin ’ s 2024 breakout was the story of the season on the LPGA Tour , a circuit where youth reigns supreme and some of the world ’ s best players retire before age 30 . Women ’ s professional golfers rarely hit their primes in their early 30s , which is part of what makes Coughlin ’ s story so compelling .
With her dream of playing for the U . S . Solheim Cup squad on home soil fulfilled , Coughlin — who turned 32 in late September and won twice on the LPGA Tour in 2024 — has set her sights on a new goal .
“ Now , at this point ,” she said , “ it ’ s to see if I can be the best player in the world .”
BEGINNINGS
Coughlin ’ s golf journey began at age 6 when her father , Michael , put a club in her hand for the first time . Most of the men on her dad ’ s side of the family played golf , including her grandfather , her uncles and her father ’ s cousins . She showed a natural curiosity for the sport and began playing at First Tee of
Hampton Roads . By the time she was 11 , she was competing regularly in 9-hole tournaments .
“ Those were some of my favorite memories of playing golf ,” Coughlin said . “ Alex Lloyd played in those tournaments . Bryce Cope played in those . I think from there ,
I kind of got hooked .”
Coughlin ’ s father joined Greenbrier Country Club when she was about 12 . The teaching professional there at the time was Butch Liebler , who began giving Coughlin regular lessons .
“ My swing , I don ’ t feel like it looks a ton different now than it did then ,” Coughlin said . “ I ’ m sure if you were to really drill down to the nuts and bolts , you ’ d see a difference , just because I was so little and so tiny until about junior or senior year of high school . I didn ’ t hit five feet until I was a sophomore in high school . I say I ’ m a late bloomer , and I really was .
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“ He was able to give me the foundation that I needed once I started to get the body to keep me going from there .”
Coughlin was a trailblazer at Hickory High School in Chespeake , becoming the first girl to ever play for the Hawks ’ varsity golf team .
“ My eighth-grade year , there was a family that lived down the street that I was pretty close with , and Josh , the older brother , would drive me to the golf course during the summer ,” Coughlin said . “ He was going to be a senior on the team . They had me kind of be a manager , just to get me used to the idea of having me around , meeting some of the guys , seeing what it would be like . Then I tried out
Lauren Coughlin birdied the par-3 11th at RTJ in her Sunday singles match against Maja Stark , jumpstarting a comeback from 3 down .
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my freshman year and made the team , made the lineup most of the year as well , and it kind of took off from there .”
After earning All-State girls honors in 2008 and 2009 , she earned both boys and girls All-State honors in 2010 . She was runner-up in three straight VSGA Junior Girls ’ Championships from 2009-11 . And she twice represented Virginia in the annual Virginia-Maryland Poindexter Cup matches , teaming with Shabril Brewer ( now Derco ) for a four-ball victory in the 2010 matches .
Derco grew up in Herndon and met Coughlin through golf ; the two have been friends ever since . Derco and husband Reid were on site at RTJ to follow Coughlin ’ s match with Stark , their young daughter Hayden in tow . The Derco family stood
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behind the 14th tee that afternoon . Coughlin was first to hit , and after driver met golf ball , Hayden yelled , “ Let ’ s go Lauren !” She yelled the same after Stark ’ s tee shot . Coughlin turned around , smiled and laughed .
“ She was so cute ,” Coughlin said , recounting the memory .
“ She would come down to visit because one of the companies that sponsored her was down here , so she ’ d stay with us ,” Derco said . “ I remember , this was about four or five years ago , we were out on the boat and I was talking to her , and she was like , ‘ Solheim Cup , I really want that .’ So when she finally got there , I told Reid we have to go .
“ It ’ s so cool seeing where she started and where ’ s she gone throughout the years . As a friend , I ’ m so proud of her , and I can ’ t wait to see where she keeps going with it .”
DECISIONS
As her time at Hickory wound down , Coughlin had choices when it came to college golf : be the big fish in a small pond at a smaller Division I program or go to UVA as a preferred walk-on . Kim Lewellen , Virginia ’ s coach at the time , talked to both Lauren and her father . She couldn ’ t offer any scholarship money , at least not right away . She said Lauren would most likely redshirt that first year and that there was a possibility — but no promise — of financial help down the line .
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