The first stop of the 2026 Epson Tour West Coast stretch is officially underway at the 14th rendition of the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa. The field of 132 athletes were gifted an unusually warm day at the Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, in Beaumont, Calif. on Friday.

Anna Nordfors is an Epson Tour veteran coming off two consecutive made cuts at the IOA Golf Classic and the Orlando Health Championship. The 27-year-old continued her momentum this afternoon, firing a near-perfect round of 6-under, 66.

“It feels great. It feels like the practice and the time I put down pays off finally, so it feels really good to start off with a six-under for sure,” said Nordfors.

The Swedish native carded two birdies on her opening nine, but faltered with two bogeys rounding the turn at even par. Nordfors turned it around with a birdie on the par-4 first hole, and did not stop there, dropping three consecutive birdies on holes three through five.

“I just hit a lot of approach shots really close, mentioned Nordfors. I think my longest putt I made today was like nine feet. So I hit a lot of approach shots very close and made some pretty straight putts.”

The University of Central Florida alumna dropped deeper into the red with under-par holes on eight and nine to finish out her opening round, sitting in a tie at the top of the leaderboard.

Another player taking advantage of Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon was Carla Bernat Escuder. The Epson Tour rookie opened with a birdie on the No. 1 and followed with sinking two more putts on holes four and five to round the turn 3-under par. Bernat Escuder continued draining putts on the back nine. Ultimately finding four, with an unfortunate bogey sandwiched between her under-round holes setting her up to sign for a 6-under, 66.

“I think it made me a little more comfortable at the beginning because I am a rookie, and sometimes it's a little hard to adapt to new things, Bernat Escuder mentioned on playing partner Annabelle Pancake-Webb. She made me feel a little comfortable, and I asked a couple of questions at the beginning, so I guess I need to thank her for at least a couple of birdies.”

Make sure to check out what your 18-hole leaders, Nordfors and Bernat Escuder do as they plan to tee off for round two at 7:00 a.m. and 12:34 p.m. local time Saturday afternoon, respectively.

Amari Avery is a 22-year-old who has started this season on a good note, making all three cuts during the Florida swing, finishing in a tie for eighth place at the IOA Golf Classic, positioning her at No. 22 on the Race for the Card leaderboard. The Epson Tour sophomore is living locally this week, having grown up playing Tukwet Canyon. Avery get’s to spend her time away from the course with family and enjoying home cooked meals, a luxury while on the Road to the LPGA.

The University of Southern California alumna was scrapy on her opening nine. Rounding the turn her driver swing fell into place and birdies began to drop from there. Avery suck five birdies on her closing nine to sit in a tie for third place heading into moving day.

Jenny Coleman opened her day on one tee, marking the first birdie of the day on hole two. The University of Colorado native was soon farther under par after draining three birdies in her next five holes, ultimately signing for a 4-under, 32 opening nine. The Epson and LPGA Tour regular’s back nine was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 16th, and heads into moving day in a tie for third after posting a 5-under 67.

The pack tightens quickly, with three athletes at 4-under, sitting in a tie for fifth, setting up an intense battle heading into day two.

The IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa continues to deliver drama and opportunity for these rising stars chasing LPGA dreams. Follow along with live scoring here.

Carla Bernat Escuder and Anna Nordfors Co-Lead the IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa

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