The first 18 holes of the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa have come and gone, and with it, some of the best storylines of the season have emerged. Another Epson Tour rookie leads, a veteran with past success at Tukwet Canyon sits in second, and in a tie for third place is a player looking to pick up her second win of the season just four events in. While all of that was unfolding, the 132-player field also had to deal with light showers, cold weather and a golf course with undulating terrain during their first round in Beaumont, making the scores posted even more impressive.
Leading the way is Juliana Hung, who is making her fourth start on the Epson Tour. The rookie started her first round on the back nine and came out of the gates on fire, rolling in birdies on her first three holes before making two pars. A birdie on No. 15 was the beginning of a five-hole stretch that Hung played in 6-under par. The Chinese Taipei native finished her opening nine holes birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie resulting in an 8-under 28, matching the all-time 9-hole scoring record on the Epson Tour. The birdie on No. 1 was the last of the day, getting her to 9-under through her first 10 holes. A bogey on No. 6 was all that stood between the 22-year-old and the new 18-hole scoring record for the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, but the 8-under 64 was good enough to match the record and give her the solo lead by two shots heading into Moving Day.
"I had a lot of, like, shorter irons and wedges, which is, like my strengths of the game," said Hung. "I was pretty happy with how I played today. I mean, it's my rookie year this year and I didn't have the best Florida swing, so I wasn't really coming into this tournament having any expectations. I was just trying to enjoy out here."
Sophie Hausmann is the closest to Hung after posting an impressive round of her own. The German signed for a bogey-free 6-under 66, closing out her day with four birdies in her last six holes. Hausmann is used to being at the top of the leaderboard at the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, winning the event in 2021, finishing runner-up in 2022, and in T6 in 2023. The Epson Tour veteran is also battling back from an injury that sidelined her for the last part of her 2023 season, where she had a chance to earn her LPGA Tour card but is hoping this is the beginning of her comeback for her card in 2025.
"Of course, you take some good memories with you," explained Hausmann on her success at Tukwet Canyon. "But I always say it's a new year. There's different competition out here, but yeah, I feel like at this point, there is something about it. On the other hand, it's only one round. So, I feel like that's there's a lot of golf left but I do really like the course."
Jessica Peng and Becca Huffer round out the top 4 in Beaumont, with Peng looking to collect her second win of the season after winning the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort & Spa's sister event, the IOA Classic presented by LPT Realty. Round two will begin tomorrow at 7:30 AM PDT with the leader teeing off at 8:58 AM PDT for her second round.
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