The life of a professional golfer is not always as exciting as it seems. The highs are thrilling - hoisting trophies, signing autographs and really feeling like you’ve made it to the big leagues. But the lows can be mentally draining. Long hours are spent on perfecting a game that will never truly be perfect, and even though it may feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel, one bad round can send even the best of the best spiraling.

Epson Tour veteran Kathleen Scavo has found herself in a rut as of late, only making one cut in six starts to begin her fifth professional season. Before the Copper Rock Championship, the University of Oregon alum had carded only one round in the 60s in 2025, signing for a first-round 67 during the first round of the IOA Golf Classic presented by Aperture in March. She missed five consecutive cuts to start her season, finally getting to play weekend golf in Scottsdale, Ariz. at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic.

“I mean, I've struggled all season,” said Scavo. “I finally had an okay week last week, it was my first cut, so I feel like I'm trending up, which is good. But yes, it's definitely been a grind this year.”

Scavo bested her season-low round by one shot during the opening 18 holes of the Copper Rock Championship, signing for a 6-under, 66, that consisted of seven birdies and one bogey. Exceptional putting led the Benicia, California native to her season-best round and a T4 finish at the end of the day, putting her in good position to make a second consecutive cut.

“It's kind of a breakthrough. I mean, it's kind of a relief,” said Scavo on Thursday. “It's just been such a grind and such a struggle this year. I'm just really happy to finally post a score that shows that I played well, and I was committed to my shots, good routines and just kind of playing smart golf.”

Despite the current rut, the 27-year-old knows she has the game to be a fierce competitor on the Epson Tour, which was proven by her resilience in a six-hole playoff to win the 2024 Dream First Bank Charity Classic. The talent was showing on Thursday in Hurricane, Utah, making the round both physically and mentally a breakthrough day for Scavo.

The shift in the mental side of the game was something Scavo homed in on during the Tour’s five-week break in April. Although the first two tournaments of the West Coast stretch did not produce immediate results, the Epson Tour champion is now seeing results and building herself back up, one tournament at a time.

“Well, in the five weeks off, I kind of reassessed and worked on my mental game. I definitely was struggling mentally on the golf course, not a lot of confidence. But like I said, I'm trending in the right direction, and I'm starting to see some positives, which is good. Hopefully I can keep up the good play.”

Scavo is back on the course at 12:42 p.m. local time, hoping to make another strong push away from the projected cutline of even-par. Fans can follow her scoring HERE.

Kathleen Scavo Has Breakthrough Round at the Copper Rock Championship

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