Sagstrom beats Coughlin by 1 in LPGA Match Play to end 5-year drought

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Madelene Sagstrom ended more than a five-year LPGA Tour victory drought, overcoming the loss of a four-hole lead at difficult Shadow Creek in a 1-up victory over Lauren Coughlin on Sunday in the T-Mobile Match Play final.

Sagstrom took the lead for good with a par at the par-5 16th hole. Coughlin made a double bogey on the hole.

Perhaps it was a fitting when the world’s top-ranked players fell one after another at the picturesque but demanding course that a ranked 67th claimed the $300,000 winner’s share. The Swede’s other win came in 2020 at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.

The final match reached the 18th green for the first time the 5-year-old event.

In a battle of 32-year-olds, Sagstrom had a four-hole lead after just six holes when Coughlin bogeyed No. 2 and the Swede rolled off three consecutive birdies beginning at No. 4. But then the match changed, with a suddenly shaky Sagstrom missing off the tee and failing to navigate the lightning-quick greens that took even well-struck approach shots into the rough.

Coughlin claimed five of the next six holes to take the lead. Though she did her part with a pair of birdies, Coughlin also didn’t have to do anything spectacular as Sagstrom carded three bogeys and two doubles over that stretch.

Then Coughlin bogeyed the par-3 13th, and Sagstrom made par to pull back even, which is where the match stood until the 16th.

Both players failed to stay out of the rough, with Coughlin even twice chipping from about the same spot after the ball rolled back on her. Coughlin finally conceded the hole after her 30-foot putt went well past and the double bogey put Sagstrom back in the lead.

Coughlin, ranked 17th, has been a tough out all tournament. She played in at least 18 holes in every match, a total of 127 compared to 72 for a traditional stroke-play tournament. Coughlin was 3-down in her previous two matches before rallying to win, including a 1-up victory over Ariya Jutanugarn in the semifinals Sunday morning.

Sagstrom has been pushed to the limits as well.

She survived a 19-hole round-of-16 match against Carlota Ciganda on Saturday and then had to wait more than two hours as Celine Boutier and Ashleigh Buhai went at it over 28 holes. Then it became another marathon of a match as Sagstrom and Boutier were tied through 17 as darkness set in. The match was suspended, and Sagstrom finished up early Sunday morning with a 19th-hole quarterfinals victory.

Sagstrom then took out 12th-ranked Angel Yin 4 and 2 in the semifinals.

Coughlin was seeking her first victory since the Scottish Open in August. The Charlottesville, Virginia, resident has two career victories, both last year.

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