01보기 없는 완벽한 플레이… 순위 수직 상승
루키 헤일리 쿠퍼가 하와이 오아후에서 열린 대회 3라운드에서 폭발적인 경기력을 과시했다.
쿠퍼는 3라운드에서 보기 없이 64타를 치는 무결점 플레이를 펼치며 타수를 대폭 줄였다.
이번 라운드 활약에 힘입어 쿠퍼는 순위를 크게 끌어올리며 상위권인 톱10 진입에 성공했다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Hailee Cooper of the United States plays a tee shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei 2026 at Hoakalei Country Club on October 03, 2026 in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
Megan McCrea is the Manager of Digital Operations. Megan is in her second year with the LPGA, working with the LPGA and Epson Tours to manage, develop, maintain, and update website content.
Hailee Cooper made eight birdies without any mistakes Saturday for an 8-under 64, moving from T57 to T9 at 11-under 205 through 54 holes of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei at Hoakalei Country Club.
The round was Cooper's best of the season by four shots, topping her previous low of 68. She began the day at 3-under 141.
After a steady start, Cooper went three-in-a-row birding the par-3 fourth, the par-5 fifth and the par-4 sixth to reach 6-under. She parred the final three holes of the front nine to turn in 33.
The back nine brought a second streak. Cooper had another trio of birdies on the par-4 10th, the par-5 11th and the par-3 12th to climb to 9-under. She closed with birdies on the par-4 16th and 17th to reach 11-under and added a par at the 18th for a back-nine 31.
"I finally was able to make some putts," said Cooper. "The last two days I struggled to make putts. Been hitting the ball well, so just waiting for them to finally fall in."
A game with her caddie, Michelle, helped keep the birdies coming.
"Every three holes I need to make one birdie," said Cooper. "It kept me going and my mind on making birdies instead of trying to save or be too cautious with shots."
The surge follows a difficult season for Cooper, who has made three cuts in 15 starts. The pressure was on Friday when she needed to deliver a 30-foot putt to make the weekend.
"This year has been really, really hard, really tough," said Cooper. "I made like a 30-footer yesterday to make the cut, so pretty nice to come in today and do something like that."
A graduate of the Epson Tour, Cooper earned her 2026 LPGA Tour card by finishing 10th in the 2025 Race for the Card standings. She made 17 cuts in 19 starts that season with eight top-10 finishes, including a season-best T3 at the Guardian Championship.
Cooper, who is seeking her first LPGA Tour win, said she plans to take a relaxed approach into Sunday's final round, with family on hand in Hawai'i.
"I really hope that I can enjoy it," said Cooper. "Just have fun."