Not even four strokes worth of penalties assessed during the first round were enough to keep Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster and Jaclyn Murray of Grand Junction from cruising to victory Sunday in the CWGA Chapman Championship.
The two high schoolers prevailed by six strokes in the 36-hole team event at Keystone Ranch Golf Course. And they did it despite drawing the four penalty strokes on Saturday for substituting balls once one common ball was picked for the team in the Chapman format.
In the Chapman, each competitor tees off on each hole, then plays her partner’s ball for the second shot. After that the partners select the ball with which they will score, and they play that ball alternately into the hole. Once that common ball is chosen, balls shouldn’t be substituted depending on the player — something Kupcho and Murray, as well as runners-up Deb Hughes and Sue Davis, didn’t initially understand.
Those two teams subsequently drew two two-stroke penalties on their first holes in which the breach occurred, up to a maximum of four shots total per round. That’s similar to the penalty for carrying too many clubs.
With that situation behind them on Sunday — when they started with a four-stroke lead — Kupcho and Murray recorded the only sub-par score of the tournament, a 1-under-par 70, to post a 4-over-par 146 total for the two-day event. (The winners are pictured above, with Murray at left.) That was six strokes better than 2014 CWGA Senior Match Play champion Hughes, of Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, and teammate Davis, of Saddle Rock Golf Course. Hughes and Davis made five birdies in their round of 72 on Sunday.
“It was a great experience to have,” said Murray (left), who won her first CWGA championship. “And it’s special to share it with Jennifer.”
Claiming third place in the championship flight, 17 shots behind Kupcho and Murray, were Ron Irons and Pat Wenger of Eisenhower Golf Club, who closed with an 83.
With their penalties, and three additional early bogeys, Kupcho and Murray were 7 over par through seven holes on Saturday. But they settled down and played their final 29 holes of the tournament in 3 under. On Sunday, they made three birdies and two bogeys.
The Chapman marked the third CWGA championship of 2014 for Kupcho (below), a 17-year-old senior from Jefferson Academy. The Wake Forest recruit earlier won the CWGA Match Play and the Junior Stroke Play. She’s also claimed the title in the 4A state high school meet and finished second in the HealthOne Colorado Women’s Open.
“It’s really exciting to get another state championship,” she said. “It’s been a great summer, a great year. It’s nice to see all the hard work pay off.”
So how did Kupcho and Murray join forces for the Chapman?
Both qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship this year, but more notably, they were both on the CWGA’s Girls Junior America’s Cup team that competed in Walla Walla, Wash., in late July. And when both expressed an interest in playing in the Chapman, they simply teamed up.
Murray lives in Grand Junction during the summer, but stays in the Denver metro area with her mother during the school year, attending Regis Jesuit High School. As a freshman, Murray helped Regis win the 5A state high school team title in May.
Murray is now 15 years old, while Kupcho is 17.
In all, 50 teams divided into six flights competed in the CWGA Chapman.
For Chapman scores, CLICK HERE.
