Alumni Report: Former NCAA, ANWA champ Kupcho gets first pro win
- Photo courtesy Jennifer Kupcho
LPGA rookie
Jennifer Kupcho broke through with her first professional win in her home state at the Colorado Women’s Open Championship.
As the LPGA continues on working its way back from COVID-19, Kupcho has been hunkered down in Arizona to keep her game sharp. Heading back home to Colorado, the Wake Forrest alumna fired an opening-round 5-under 67 to sit one shot off the lead. Day two brought low scores across the leaderboard as Kupcho, as well as the 15th ranked player in the world, Carlota Ciganda, both posted second-round scores of 65.
The final round saw Kupcho and Ciganda once again paired together. With Kupcho holding a three-stroke lead to begin the day, Ciganda failed to get over the hump but matched Kupcho shot-for-shot with a final round 68. Kupcho’s 200 set a new tournament record for the 54-hole event.
“It seemed like it was match play coming down the stretch,” said Kupcho. “I was just staying focused. It definitely gives me a lot of confidence just because she is top-15 in the world so it’s pretty exciting to compete with her.”
- Photo courtesy Jennifer Kupcho
Kupcho’s last 24 months have been a whirlwind. Being named the 2018 NCAA Player of the Year,
winning the 2018 NCAA individual championship, being named to both the 2018 Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup, and
winning the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Kupcho has finally had time to catch her breath thanks to COVID-19.
“It’s definitely been really nice to have some time off and relax and just take it all in,” Kupcho told AmateurGolf.com. “While I did go so quickly to the LPGA, I didn’t really have time to breathe.”
Qualifying for the LPGA Tour while still a senior in college, Kupcho deferred her status until after graduation. In the summer of 2019, Kupcho tallied 19 starts with 11 cuts made, three top-10 finishes including a T-2 finish at the LPGA’s final major of the season, The Evian Championship.
As the LPGA sets its sights to return in July, Kupcho looks forward to building off of her first professional win.