Coughlin earns inaugural Audi Precision award in victory at CPKC Canadian Women's Open

Lauren Coughlin was a force all weekend at Earl Grey Golf Club, as her accuracy led to her earning the first-ever Audi Precision award as well as her first career LPGA Tour victory at the CPKC Canadian Women's Open.

She finished her final round with a 71 on Sunday to shoot a 13-under for the tournament. 

The Audi Precision award is given to the player determined to be the most accurate through the tournament, as shown in their greens and fairways in regulation. Included with the honour is a $25,000 cash prize, with a matching donation being made to First Tee - Alberta on behalf of Audi Canada. 

Coughlin finished her tournament having hit 58-of-72 greens in regulation, and 38-of-56 fairways.

The American rallied late in the final round, with birdies on the par-5 15 and par-3 17 to surge ahead of Haeran Ryu, who bogeyed 15, 16 and 18. 

Coughlin led the tournament after the second day - and her performance in the difficult conditions boosted her chances at the Audi Precision award significantly. 

The course played difficult on Friday as haze from wildfires and heavy winds contributed to a tough day overall for the field.

“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," Coughlin said after her second round. "And they had some tough pins, especially considering the direction of the wind.”

Coughlin hit 10-of-14 fairways and 15-of-18 greens in regulation in the second day. Other top golfers in the tournament struggled in the difficult terrain - Mao Saigo, who finished second at 11-under, hit only four fairways and 12 greens in regulation. Jenny Shin, who finished tied third, hit eight and 13, respectively, while Canada's Brooke Henderson, who finished tied for eighth at 6-under, hit five and 12, respectively. 

Coughlin stayed consistent as the hazy conditions continued into Moving Day in the third round, finishing the day ranked second in the tournament, one shot off the lead. 

"I was just trying to stay in my own bubble and not get too into what [Ryu] was doing,” said Coughlin.

Battling back-and-forth atop the leaderboard in the final round, Coughlin and Ryu split in the accuracy rankings in the back nine. Ryu struggled down the stretch, missing five consecutive greens - including a bad miss that forced a double bogey on 11. 

This award comes as no surprise for Coughlin this season, as she's ranked eighth in greens in regulation and 17th in fairways in regulation on the LPGA tour.

Entering the tournament, Coughlin was excited to keep her momentum this season rolling at Earl Grey Golf Club.

"I've been hitting the ball -- pretty much ever since Evian I've been hitting the ball extremely well," Coughlin said headed into the tournament. "Yeah, it's just trying to be myself and have fun, and then see what I shoot."

Coughlin finished fourth at the Evian Championship, the fourth major on the LPGA schedule back in July. 

The result at this tournament will bolster Coughlin's standing in the LPGA Tour, as she entered the tournament ranked 38th.