Ah, Scotland in the summer—a time when the wind does more dancing than the players on the green.
Moving day at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open brought its usual twists and turns, with the leaderboard changing more often than a Scot’s opinion on the weather.
But as the sun set on Dundonald Links, two fierce U.S. Solheim Cup contenders emerged, leaving the field trying to keep pace.
Lauren Coughlin, who already bagged the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open like a prized pheasant, found herself perched atop the leaderboard.
Playing in this event for the third time, Coughlin had been hanging around the leaders like a persistent caddie—T5 after the first round, T3 after the second, and now, thanks to a bogey-free blitz, she’s sitting pretty in the top spot.
Her six birdies tied the lowest round of the week at 6-under, and while her ball striking was as sharp as a Scotsman’s wit, it was her putter that stole the show.
“Yeah, I think a lot of it is putting,” Coughlin said, clearly as thrilled as anyone to see the ball drop.
“I started to get some confidence in the (spring) Asian Swing, and since then I’ve been able to keep it going.
I’m starting to hit the ball extremely well, and yeah, I’m just starting to feel really good about my game and myself and trying to keep it going.”
Not to be outdone, Megan Khang, who led after the second round, also delivered a bogey-free round—though she found herself just one stroke shy of Coughlin’s lead heading into Sunday’s showdown.
Khang’s round was a study in patience; she navigated the front nine like a cautious driver on a slick road, going even-par, before hitting the accelerator on the back nine with three birdies.
The conditions, naturally, were as tricky as a politician’s promise, but Khang took it in stride.
“Yeah, definitely,” Khang said when asked about the challenge of staying patient. “I mean, it’s so hard to say this is one of the nicer days… this is by far the best thing of the week.
At least with my wave. So, it was a little bit different today. Obviously, the wind was still a big factor.
But it was just nice to be out there, and out there, I was joking with Charley and Minjee, they were in the opposite wave, I was like, ‘Oh, this is nice today.’
They just looked at me kind of funny. Overall, still having fun out there.”
Meanwhile, a pair of Team Europe Solheim Cup hopefuls are lurking in the shadows, tied for third. Olympic silver medalist Esther Henseleit had the crowd buzzing with five birdies and an eagle on the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, the par-5 No. 14.
At one point, she even held the solo lead before a pesky bogey on No. 16 brought her back to earth.
England’s Charley Hull kept her cool, posting four birdies against a single bogey, making sure she’s in the mix for Sunday.
Minjee Lee, who had been sitting pretty at the top after the first two rounds, found herself in choppier waters.
She sailed through the front nine with a two-stroke lead, but three bogeys on the back nine left her in solo-fifth.
Even defending champion Celine Boutier, who had been struggling to find her rhythm, managed to post her first under-par round of the week with a 1-under 71—just in time to remind everyone she’s not out of it yet.
As we head into the final round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, all eyes will be on Lauren Coughlin.
But with a field of hungry competitors nipping at her heels, this one’s far from over. It’s Scotland, after all—where the wind, and the leaderboard, can change in the blink of an eye.
