Madelene Sagstrom captured her first LPGA Tour victory in more than five years, defeating Lauren Coughlin 1-up in the T-Mobile Match Play final at Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas.
The 32-year-old Swede, ranked 67th in the world, claimed the $300,000 winner’s share after a rollercoaster match that reached the 18th hole—a first in the tournament’s five-year history.
Sagstrom built a commanding four-hole lead through just six holes, but then watched it evaporate as Coughlin mounted a stunning comeback. The match turned for good at the par-5 16th, where Coughlin’s double bogey handed Sagstrom a lead she wouldn’t relinquish.
“It’s a hugely consequential win for me,” Sagstrom said. “I’ve been working so hard to get back to this moment.”
What makes this victory particularly impressive is how it happened at Shadow Creek, a course that systematically eliminated the world’s top-ranked players throughout the week. Sagstrom’s only previous LPGA win came at the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio.
The final match featured dramatic swings of momentum. Sagstrom jumped ahead early when Coughlin bogeyed the second hole, then the Swede poured in three straight birdies starting at the fourth hole to build her four-hole advantage.
But Shadow Creek’s notorious difficulty soon caught up with Sagstrom. Her tee shots went wayward and she struggled with the lightning-quick greens that sent even well-struck approaches rolling into trouble. Coughlin seized the opportunity, winning five of the next six holes to take a 1-up lead.
The match swung back to all square when Coughlin bogeyed the par-3 13th while Sagstrom made par.
The decisive 16th hole proved disastrous for Coughlin. Both players battled the rough, but Coughlin’s struggles were particularly painful—twice chipping from nearly identical spots after her ball rolled back. She eventually conceded the hole after blasting her 30-foot putt well past the hole, giving Sagstrom a 1-up lead she protected through the final two holes.
Coughlin, ranked 17th, showed remarkable resilience throughout the tournament. She played at least 18 holes in every match—a total of 127 holes compared to the 72 in a traditional stroke-play event. She had overcome 3-down deficits in her previous two matches, including her 1-up semifinal victory over Ariya Jutanugarn Sunday morning.
Sagstrom’s path to the final was equally grueling. She survived a 19-hole round-of-16 match against Carlota Ciganda on Saturday, then waited more than two hours as Celine Boutier and Ashleigh Buhai battled through 28 holes. Her quarterfinal match against Boutier was suspended by darkness with the players tied through 17 holes. Sagstrom returned Sunday morning to win on the 19th hole before dispatching 12th-ranked Angel Yin 4 and 2 in the semifinals.
Coughlin, from Charlottesville, Virginia, was seeking her third career victory and first since the Scottish Open last August.
The way this tournament unfolded at Shadow Creek—with its picturesque but punishing layout—it seemed fitting that a player who demonstrated both resilience and adaptability would ultimately prevail.
