On Saturday, the Coloradan set herself up nicely for what she hopes will be a similarly successful run.
In her final tournament of the regular season, Kupcho won the Bryan National Collegiate at Browns Summit, N.C.
It was Kupcho’s second individual victory of the season and the fifth of her college career at Wake Forest.
The junior, the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur in the world, shot rounds of 72-72-71 for a 1-under-par 215 total at the Bryan Park Champions Course. That gave Kupcho a two-stroke victory over Naomi Ko of North Carolina State.
Kupcho (pictured in a Wake Forest photo), who finished 21st in the U.S. Women’s Open last year, rallied from a three-stroke deficit going into the final round.
“It is terrific to see Jennifer play so well,” said Wake Forest coach Dianne Dailey. “She is such a strong player and loves to play in adverse conditions, and today was set up perfectly for her. She is such a fantastic player and I know there are even more victories in her future.”
The result was the 20th top-10 individual finish of Kupcho’s college career, but first of the spring portion of this season’s schedule. The three-time CWGA Stroke Play champion is ranked ninth and 11th among women’s collegians this season by Golfweek and Golfstat, respectively. Last month, she was named to the U.S. team for the Arnold Palmer Cup.
With Kupcho leading the way, Wake Forest on Saturday won its first team title since October 2016. The Demon Deacons prevailed by five strokes over Furman.
Colorado State placed 15th in the 17-team field, with Katrina Prendergast leading the way with a 16th-place showing at 9-over-par 225.
Bryan National Collegiate
April 6-7, 2018 (final) in Browns Summit, N.C.
15. (out of 17 teams) Colorado State 308-306-316–930
16. Katrina Prendergast 74-77-74–225
21. Ellen Secor 79-71-76–226
68. Jessica Sloot 79-79-81–239
83. Brooke Nolte 76-84-85–245
86. Haley Greb 83-79-85–247
Also
1. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 72-72-71–215
Kupcho (pictured), winner of the last three CWGA Player of the Year awards, led for a time during the final round, but had to settle for ending up two shots behind champion Kristen Gillman of Alabama. Kupcho closed with a 1-under-par 71, giving her a 6-under 210 total. She made five birdies on Sunday, but paid the price for a double-bogey 7 on her 10th hole of the day.
Ranked in the top 10 nationally in women’s college golf, Kupcho will go into the stretch run of the season on a strong note. In her last two tournaments, she’s placed second and third. Overall for the season, she’s notched two wins, a second-place showing, a third, a fourth and an eighth. Her only hiccups came after suffering a concussion in one event, having to withdraw there, and placing 47th in her next tourney.
Next up for Kupcho is the ACC Championships in mid-April. She was runner-up in that event last year and went on to tie for sixth in the NCAA Finals.
Colorado State, the only local team competing in the Bryan National Collegiate, ended up 16th in the 18-team field, with sophomore Katrina Prendergast leading the way with an 14th place individual showing. In finishing at 217, she recorded her fourth consecutive top-16 performance.
Bryan National Collegiate
April 1-2, 2017 (final) in Browns Summit, N.C.
16. (out of 18 teams) Colorado State 316-304-309–929
14. Katrina Prendergast 74-70-73–217
76. Ellen Secor 82-76-78–236
76. Brianna Becker 78-81-77–236
84. Elisabeth Rau 82-77-81–240
93. Jessica Sloot 83-87-85–255
Also
3. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 70-69-71–210