The Epson Tour’s 'West Coast Swing' was one for the history books as Kiwi golfer Fiona Xu 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, compatriot Juliana Hung set the all-time 54-hole scoring record at the IOA Championship 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.
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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 on Sunday (Monday NZ Time).
The 19-year-old cooled down slightly, making four pars to make the turn with a four-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 10 feet or within 10 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.
“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.”
The Epson Tour, after the thrilling Copper Rock Championship, will return to action June 7-9 in Battle Creek, Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
Amelia Garvey (+5) and Hung (+7) both missed the cut. Hung sits fifth in the Race for the Card standings, while Garvey is 135th.
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