PAUL PIERCE JR . |
Van Valkenburg set up a time at his home club , Eagle ’ s Nest Country Club . Keegan was nervous and a bit overwhelmed , Kevin said , having never played with an LPGA player before . Coughlin quickly put the young girl at ease , asking Keegan to be on her team for a match against John and Kevin . For the most part , it went as expected , with Coughlin overwhelming the course and shooting 4-under on the front nine . She struggled on one hole , though , and Keegan stepped up , hitting three great shots to win the hole for her side .
“ She was ecstatic ,” Van Valkenburg said . “ Her shots had counted in this match .
“ In the time since , Lauren will always text me whenever I write about Keegan , asking me how it ’ s going , offering encouragement . She was the person who encouraged me to bring Keegan along to my Sunday games with my friends , who are in their late 40s and early 50s . The first time Keegan and I played one of these matches , she and I won our match . I probably wouldn ’ t have done that if Lauren hadn ’ t told me those stories about playing with her dad and his friends .”
Coughlin takes her position as a role model to young girls seriously . She recounted a story from June ’ s KPMG Women ’ s PGA Championship at Salhalee Country Club in Washington . After hitting an approach shot and as she was walking up the fairway , she heard a young girl call out her name to ask for an autograph . She obliged , prompting a surprised look from McNamara , who said he couldn ’ t recall a player who signed a golf ball for a fan mid-round .
“ That ’ s one of the coolest things about my job and doing what I do , it ’ s seeing all of the little girls out there ,” Coughlin said . “ My parents grew up taking me to Kingsmill ( for LPGA tournaments ). Going and watching
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that , it helped me get into golf . I remember thinking if I would have gotten a high five from a player , or something like that , it would have made my whole month , probably .
“ When I see a little girl out there , it reminds me of me . I don ’ t mind giving a signature or a fist bump , because it would have meant everything to me .”
THE RIDE CONTINUES
As recently as 2021 , Coughlin was ranked 270th in the Rolex Women ’ s World Golf Rankings . Since then , she has steadily climbed to No . 166 at the end of 2022 , No . 109 in 2023 and No . 15 as of early November . Considering the way she burst through the proverbial door in 2024 , there ’ s no reason to think No . 1 is an unattainable goal .
Pond made an unspoken bet on his wife ’ s potential in February when he left his job in UVA ’ s development office to join Coughlin on the road full time . He helps with booking travel , handling media and sponsorship opportunities and even filled in as a caddie for seven events in 2024 . The bet has paid off handsomely . Coughlin
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has earned nearly $ 2 million this season , making her financially secure for the first time and allowing her to pick and choose her events on the schedule .
Instead of taking a four-week swing to Asia in the fall , she decided to recharge after the Solheim Cup by sticking around for UVA ’ s homecoming weekend . She played in one event in South Korea before traveling to Arizona to play in NLU ’ s Nest Invitational Tournament , prioritizing mental health and time with friends over simply chasing money overseas .
There ’ s still plenty on Coughlin ’ s to-do list , with winning a major championship at the top . Her breakout in 2024 brings excitement , expectations and changes for 2025 . She ’ s ready for it all .
“ It ’ s going to be a little different from here on out ,” Coughlin said . “ Like Terry said , I ’ m not anonymous anymore . It ’ s going to be a little bit of an adjustment , getting back into my bubble , per se , at tournaments and not letting all of the other stuff affect what I really love , which is competing and playing golf .”
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