JM EAGLE LA CHAMPIONSHIP

April 19, 2025

Lauren Coughlin

Quick Quotes

Q. Okay, joined by with Lauren Coughlin after her third round here at El Caballero. Currently have the clubhouse lead. Tell me how you're feeling after three days out here in LA.

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, really good. Only one bogey for the first three days, so that's always really good.

Made some really good par saves out there today and kind of in the middle of the round when I didn't, kind of lost it there for a little while, but was able to steady it and keep it going there at the end.

Q. What would you say has been your biggest strength this week on this course?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: My distance control with my irons. I feel like you really have to make sure -- I've been putting extremely well, too, but I put myself in some really good spots with my irons.

Greens have a lot of slope and you can use it a lot of the times. If you get on the wrong side of any of the ridges, it can be really difficult. Feel like I haven't given myself any of those, so I've just -- which has just set up my putter.

Q. When you say you lost it in the middle of the round, was there a particular part of your game that fell off a bit? If so, what then allowed you to pick it up and hold things steady?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, just felt like I was hitting good putts but they weren't dropping. Hit a couple that weren't good, too. I had one on 9, a 10-footer that I left short.

But I think I just got a little quick, and then we got put on the clock the last couple holes. I feel like the group in front of us, we were waiting pretty much the whole nine, ten holes and they got warned and took off, and Yan had the issue on 12, and all of a sudden we were behind the 8 ball for the rest of the day, which is just kind of unfortunate.

So after that I feel like it was just trying to steady myself and not get too quick, which is a tendency of mine, and also not get a bad time or anything like that.

But then made a good par save on 14.

Good par save on 15, and I think that steadied it a little bit.

Q. Is that stressful, and how do you not let that overtake you and your game and the way you want to play?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: It is stressful just because I don't think I'm a slow player. But at the same time, I feel like you just never know what can happen, so you don't want to put yourself in a position to kind of get a bad time.

And so it can be a little bit stressful. A lot of it is just making sure you're as efficient as possible when it's your turn and be ready to play and all and not try to get too quick.

Just keeping a normal routine but be a little bit more efficient with it.

Q. The way you're playing right now, can you describe where you are? Obviously you've been playing so well this year. How often does a golfer get in the mode you're in, and how do you describe that feeling when even if you kind of lose things for a little bit, you're able to make those par saves, et cetera, and continue your good play?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: I think I'm just really -- I've become really mentally tough throughout my career. When I maybe don't have it I can hang in there and know it's going to show back up hopefully. If it doesn't, it is what it is.

But, yeah, I think I've just been playing really good golf for the last year or so, and I think I'm just trying to kind of stay in my normal routines be keep doing the things that are working.

I haven't changed too much in the last year or so. The stuff has been working and I've been improving in some certain areas. Bunkers were a big thing I've been trying to work on. I had a good sand save on 15 there, so that kind of kept the round going.

Then my wedges haven't been my strongest suit I guess you can say. I feel like I hit some really good wedges, especially on the par-5s this week.

So just continuing to work and put in the work and keep doing the things that have put me in this position.

Q. With the bunched leaderboard what are your expectations of what it'll take to win this thing tomorrow?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: My goal was to get to 18 today and didn't quite get there. I mean, with the par-5s and stuff you easily can shoot 4- or 5-under like that without doing too much. I think it's easily going to take that.

Probably something more.

I'm just going to go and try to keep doing what I've been doing and try to stay in my bubble and not worry about what else is going on out there and see where it puts me at the end of the day.

Q. Great round today.

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Thank you.

Q. You talked about putting. Do you think that's going to be the determining factor for tomorrow's round as far as who is going to win?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, definitely. I mean, everybody at the top of the leaderboard is going to hit it really well and it's going to be who can make the most putts tomorrow.

That's how it is every week. Especially with these greens. They're so good and roll so nice. If you can get things started online they're going to go in. I think that's why you've seen so many low scores. Greens are rolling really, really nice and with really good speed.

So they're just so pure you can just get it going and they're going to go in. We're all very, very good at what we do, and so if you put us on greens like that the scores are going to be low.

Q. You also mentioned the pace of play. What is your preference when it comes to rounds? You said you were slow on the front nine and the back nine changed. Can you talk about what pace you like to play at?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: I prefer to play fast, but it's more just like the consistency of what the -- I don't understand. The group in front of us was kind of slow and then it just was unfortunate with the timing of how -- what happened with Yan and losing a ball and stuff, so just a little bit unfortunate.

And then them getting warned and they took off and we'd been playing a certain pace all day and waiting, and all of a sudden they're not there anymore. It was like, whoa, now I got to pick it up here.

It's just frustrating because there is -- you can only go so fast when they're right in front of you so you get in a rhythm. Then all of a sudden they're gone and you have to adjust your rhythm, and that's more the frustrating part.

If you're just keeping up with the group in front of you all day it is what it is. I hope we can play as fast as possible. I would prefer that. You can only play as fast as the group in front of you.

Q. Last question: You mentioned your goal was to get to 18. What would be your goal tomorrow as far as a score or number that you would like to...

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Probably like 24, yeah. I would say 24, 25. I haven't thought too, too much about it.

Q. Like you said, this course is a lot of birdies up for grabs. I think you can get it. Have a good one.

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Thank you.

Q. At the start of the week did you think that would be the score you would need to win here?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, I think I talked about it yesterday. I can see how you can get really close to the hole if you can use the slopes. And just with how the par-5s are, too, they have a lot of backstops so you can -- all the par-5s are pretty much birdie holes.

And it's not very long. A lot of mid-irons to wedges. Again, good greens.

So I kind of figured it was going to be pretty low.

Q. You'll sleep on the co-lead at least probably tonight. Is that a comfortable position for you after now having won a couple time? You feel better about doing that?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah. I've done it where I had the lead and done it where I didn't have the lead. Again, I can only control me and so I'm going to just try to stay in my routine as much as possible and hopefully get a good night's rest, have some coffee in the morning like I like to do, and then, yeah, play golf, which is, again, super fun.

Q. You won twice on Tour but never in the States. Have you thought about that, what winning in the U.S. might mean to you?

LAUREN COUGHLIN: Yeah, winning anywhere is awesome. Yeah, of course getting a win in the U.S. -- I have done North America, so...

Q. Yeah, close enough.

LAUREN COUGHLIN: (Laughter.)