CALGARY, Alberta — Lauren Coughlin held onto the lead Friday in the CPKC Women’s Open, while Canadian star Brooke Henderson was derailed by closing bogeys at windy and smoky Earl Grey Golf Club. Coughlin, who grew up in Chesapeake, followed her opening 4-under-par 68 Thursday in chilly and windy conditions with a 70 Friday to get to 6 under, a stroke ahead of Hannah Green and Haeran Ryu. The temperature made it into the 70s after barely climbing into the 60s Thursday.
“I think I handled it really well overall,” said Coughlin, 31, a former Hickory High and Virginia Cavaliers star who is seeking her first LPGA Tour victory. “It was just really difficult to judge how far the ball was going to go with the wind and the crosswind and how firm the greens got. And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.
” Playing through a smoky haze from wildfires, Henderson bogeyed the final four holes in her afternoon round for a 73 that left her seven strokes back at 1 over. She won the 2018 tournament. “Most of the day I was 3 under, so feeling pretty great,” Henderson said.
“To walk away 1 over, that’s not the best feeling. But all you can do is move forward and try to learn from some of the things you did out there.” Coughlin is coming off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in France in the major Evian Championship.
Friday, she had three front-nine birdies and bogeyed the par-4 11th. In two rounds, she’s 7 under on the first nine hole.