Jennifer Kupcho received a little preview this week of what she hopes will be her future occupation.
The 21-year-old Westminster resident competed for the third time in an LPGA Tour event, and it’s no doubt obvious by now why this is the top women’s golf circuit in the world. Kupcho (left) played very good golf at the LPGA Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio, and she now has an additional standard by which to measure herself.
The senior-to-be at Wake Forest (left, with dad and caddie Mike; photo courtesy of the Kupcho family) never shot a round over par for the four days, and made just two bogeys on the weekend, but with stellar competition, she lost some ground on Sunday. Nevertheless, her 16th-place finish was her best in an LPGA Tour event, surpassing the 21st-place showing at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.
Kupcho, the Women’s NCAA Division I individual champion and now the top-ranked women’s amateur in the world, received a good bit of air time on the Golf Channel during Sunday’s final round. She started the last day in fifth place, three strokes out of the lead, and was hoping to become the first amateur to win an LPGA Tour event since Lydia Ko in 2013. But a 1-par 70 on Sunday dropped her out of the top 10.
Kupcho, who had her dad Mike caddying for her this week, made a nice pitch to within a foot for a birdie on her final hole to check in at 9-under-par 275, five strokes behind champion Thidapa Suwannapura. Kupcho finished the final round with three birdies and two bogeys. Before bogeying the 13th hole with a three-putt on Sunday, she had gone 30 straight holes on the weekend with no score worse than a par.
“It’s been a great week,” Kupcho said on Saturday. “It’s fun to be around all the pros and have all these fans out here watching us. It’s just a great experience.”
For all the scores from the Marathon Classic, CLICK HERE.
Stacy 28th in U.S. Senior Women’s Open: Part-time Colorado resident Hollis Stacy was remarkably consistent in the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Chicago Golf Club. The three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion posted scores of 77-76-77-76, leaving her with a 14-over-par 306 total.
A final-hole birdie on Sunday gave Stacy a 28th-place finish. Laura Davies, like Stacy a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, cruised to a 10-stroke victory over Juli Inkster in the event, ending up with a 276 total.
Here are the scores for all the Coloradans who competed in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open:
28. Part-time Lakewood resident Hollis Stacy 77-76-77-76–306
Missed 36-Hole Cut
Part-time Gunnison resident Marilyn Hardy 82-77–159
Janet Moore, Centennial 80-81–161
Sherry Andonian-Smith, Centennial 80-81–161
For all the scores from the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, CLICK HERE.
