The Epson Tour’s West Coast swing was one for the history books as Fiona Xu, a rising star in women's golf, set the new 54-hole scoring record for the Epson Tour and Copper Rock Championship at 22-under to end the four-week stretch out west. Just three weeks ago, Juliana Hung set the all-time 54-hole scoring record at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa at 21-under, where Xu finished runner-up, but it was Xu who finally broke through to get her first professional win and set the new record in Hurricane, Utah.
After tying the course record during her second round, Xu picked up right where she left off, making birdie on four of her first five holes to start her final round. The 19-year-old cooled down slightly, making four pars to make the turn with a 4-under 32. Xu rattled off three more birdies to start her back nine, before finally making a bogey on No. 13, her first in 35 holes.
Like a champion does, Xu bounced back, making two birdies in her last five holes, including an impressive birdie on the difficult 18th hole to break the all-time 54-hole scoring record in style.
“It feels pretty great. I didn't really expect to, you know, break the record, but I just played how I wanted to play and just took every opportunity the course gave me,” said Xu on her record-breaking performance. “Everything was going great. I was hitting fairways, and my approach shots were really good this week. A lot of birdies from ten feet or within ten feet. So, my putting and my approach were the biggest things this week."
Xu has had a remarkable start to her rookie season, not finishing outside the top 25 in any event in 2024. The win pushed the New Zealand native, who has been steadily climbing the rankings, to No. 1 in the Race for the Card standings by a comfortable margin heading into FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in early June.
“I’m pretty comfortable, I guess,” explained Xu with a smile. “I'm pretty happy that I won today, but I know that I'm not going to loosen up, but each tournament is also different. So, I still want to play the best I can each week.”
Kaleigh Telfer had the impossible task of attempting to track down Xu during the final round, but the lead the Epson Tour rookie had was too much. Telfer put on a charge on the back nine, making an eagle on the par 5 12th and rolling in two more birdies on 16 and 17 to get to 16-under for the tournament. A bogey on the last hole of the day had the South African signing for a 3-under 69 to close out her Copper Rock Championship.
“My game feels great and everything to just fell into place,” said Telfer. “Fiona played great golf today and it was just nice to watch her and see how you win a golf tournament. I'll take a lot from that.”
The Epson Tour, after the thrilling Copper Rock Championship, will return to action June 7-9 in Battle Creek, Mich., for the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
QUICK QUOTES
Cynthia Lu (-11, T4) on how her game is feeling before the two-week break:
“I am really satisfied with my week because I've been working on a lot of different things. Like on swing, my mental game, and really just everything in my golf game and I've been going in a good direction.”
Anita Uwadia (-6, T16) on what the support from the Hurricane, Utah locals means to the players:
“Oh my God, it's amazing. I think is probably my favorite in terms of, just the atmosphere on the course, just because you have people that actually care, and they want to watch you. I think that it’s huge that they’re out supporting the Epson Tour, supporting women's golf, which is growing, but just to have them out here, it's great. It's amazing.”
Maddie McCrary (-5, T19) on her 5-under round after opening with a double-bogey:
“You really got nothing to lose on the last day. I knew I wasn't in anywhere in contention, so I was just trying to hit my shot, focus on my line, focus on my target. Mentally I've been working really, really hard. I've been working with some and she's done wonders for my game, so I'm really excited. I'm also playing the Texas Women's Open, so looking forward to bringing some of that into there too.”
IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE WITH FIONA XU
Hometown/Resides: Auckland, New Zealand
Age: 19
Qualified for the Epson Tour: Finished T48 at Qualifying during 2023 LPGA Qualifying Series to earn Epson Tour membership
Rookie Year: 2024
| CATEGORY | |
|---|---|
| 2024 Race for the Card Place | 1 |
| 2024 Race for the Card Points | 1013.00 |
| 2024 Epson Tour Wins | 1 |
| 2024 Epson Tour Top 10s | 2 |
| 2024 Season Earnings | $72,512 |
| Career Epson Tour Wins | 1 |
| Career Epson Tour Top 10s | 2 |
| Epson Tour Career Money | $72,512 |
OF NOTE
- The 2024 Copper Rock Championship is her first professional victory
- Xu’s win moves her to No. 1 in the 2024 Race for the Card standings
- Her 22-under total is the lowest 54-hole total in Epson Tour and Copper Rock Championship history
- Xu broke the 54-hole all-time record set by Juliana Hung earlier this season
- Her 9-under 63 in her second round tied the course record at Copper Rock Golf Course set by Savannah Vilaubi and Su Oh in 2023
- The 2024 Epson Tour rookie has not finished outside the top-25 in her first six Epson Tour starts
- Her best finish before her win was a runner-up finish at the 2024 IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa
- Was ranked as high as No. 12 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings before turning professional
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