Lauren Coughlin drained a bunker shot for an eagle on the par-5 17th and, alongside Andrew Novak, posted a 4-under 68 in foursomes to grab a one-stroke lead heading into the Grant Thornton Invitational’s final round.
This marks another chance for Novak to add a team title this season. He previously teamed with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The Grant Thornton is the only mixed-team event on the schedule.
The duo sit at 19-under 125, ahead by one shot of Charley Hull and Michael Brennan, who appeared poised to seize the lead until Hull lipped out from just over three feet on the final hole. They settled for 71.
Lexi Thompson and Wyndham Clark were two back after closing with eight straight pars for a 72.
The finale features a modified format: fourballs. Each player tees off, then the partners swap golf balls and keep the same ball for the remainder of the round, with the lower score counting.
This setup should favor lower scores, though the Canadian pair Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners kept pace with seven birdies in the tougher foursomes and briefly led before a bogey on the 18th led to a 67.
That pair trailed by three, joined by Nelly Korda and Denny McCarthy (70) and Jennifer Kupcho and Chris Gotterup (70).
Both Kupcho-Gotterup and Coughlin-Novak also posted double bogeys on the par-5 14th. Coughlin kept her team alive with the late heroics on 17.
“Four birdies and an eagle, that’s really, really solid for alternate shot,” Novak remarked, keeping his tone light as always while reflecting on how much he desires a Grant Thornton title to pair with his Zurich Classic crown.
“Some are calling it the modern-day Grand Slam — Zurich, Grant Thornton,” Novak said, hinting at thoughts about his legacy as they head into tomorrow.
Hull, meanwhile, said she enjoys chasing rather than leading, and this week is no exception.
“It would have been nice to go into the final round with the lead, but we can make plenty of birdies tomorrow,” she noted.
