Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster had been knocking on the door at college golf tournaments on a regular basis. On Sunday, she broke it down in true Kupcho-like fashion.
The Coloradan, a sophomore at Wake Forest, scored her first individual college victory Sunday at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. And Kupcho, known for her huge win margins in Colorado tournaments, didn’t just eke out a victory; she prevailed by six strokes.
The 19-year-old shot rounds of 67-68-66 for a 15-under-par 201 total, leaving her a half-dozen shots ahead of runner-up Lauren Stephenson of Alabama. Kupcho carded eight birdies in the final round and set the program record for 54-hole scoring — by five strokes.
In the process, Kupcho’s Wake Forest squad earned the team title, beating Alabama, the top-ranked team in women’s golf, by five. It was the Demon Deacons’ first team title in Kupcho’s two seasons at Wake Forest and the program’s first individual championship since Cheyenne Woods won the ACC title in 2011.
“It feels great to get that first collegiate win,” Kupcho told WakeForestSports.com. “I’ve been working really hard and it’s great to see that pay off. I was hitting the ball really well. Coming into the tournament, I wasn’t too confident in my putting, but I came out and started making putts on Friday and my confidence grew from there. I felt like I was making everything.”
Kupcho, who finished sixth at last season’s women’s NCAA Finals, has now notched 10 top-10 individual finishes as a college player, including a win and two seconds.
Kupcho won both the CWGA Match Play and the CWGA Stroke Play in 2016, and qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open. (Kupcho is pictured above with her Wake Forest coaches.)
