For the third year in a row, a 9-under 63 has been posted, tying the 18-hole Copper Rock Championship tournament record. This year, it was Hailee Cooper who made her way around Copper Rock Golf Course in 63 shots, holding a two-shot lead heading into Friday. Each of the past two champions have carded a 9-under 63 in one of the first two rounds on their way to victory, with Cooper trying to make it three.

There was no “slow and steady” for Cooper in her first round, getting off to a hot start on hole 10 with a birdie and adding two more in her next three holes. A small string of pars followed before the Epson Tour sophomore added another birdie to the card on hole 18 before making the turn onto her second nine.

Cooper started her second nine the same way she started her first, by rolling in a birdie on the first two holes, but walked away with a much different result on her third hole of the nine. Coming up just short on the drivable par-five third, Cooper chipped in for an eagle to get to 8-under for the tournament. She would add one more birdie on hole five to get to 9-under with four holes to play. The 25-year-old walked up to her last hole of the day with a birdie putt to break the 18-hole tournament record, but left the putt just short for a tap-in par.

“I couldn't miss off the tee, I think I hit every fairway,” said Cooper. “Even my shots that I missed the green, I would hit a good shot. It just felt like everything was really coming easy today, which doesn't happen often.”

“I like the fourth week of a four-week stretch because I think it's gritty week, so you kind of bring out everything you have at the end. So I think it's fun,” she added.

A pair of rookies in Carla Tejedo Mulet and Napat Lertsadwattana both carded 7-under 65s in the first round to get within two shots of Cooper, while Laetitia Beck, Siyun Liy, and Melanie Green all sit three shots back at 6-under.

Round Two will begin tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. local time, on holes 1 and 10, with the last groups of the day teeing off at 2:10 p.m. local time. Follow along with live scoring here.

Hailee Cooper Blows Away the Field in the First Round of the Copper Rock Championship

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