Kupcho, the Westminster resident who’s ranked No. 1 in the world among women amateurs, completed her title defense in the Canadian Women’s Amateur on Friday by finishing in sixth place in a very strong field in Vancouver.

Kupcho shot a course-record 64 — needing just 24 putts — in the opening round at Marine Drive Golf Club, then backed it up with scores of 75-70-68 for a 7-under-par 277 total.

That left the Women’s NCAA individual champion from Wake Forest four strokes behind winner Yealimi Noh of Concord, Calif. (Kupcho is pictured in a photo courtesy of her family.)

Noh, 16, has been making weekly headlines in July by winning the national Girls Junior PGA Championship and the U.S. Girls’ Junior title. In Vancouver, she made it three victories in a row by going 66-69-67-71.

Also in the field in Canada was Lilia Vu, the No. 2-ranked women’s amateur in the world. The UCLA golfer tied for third at 274.

For all the scores from the Canadian Women’s Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

The recent Canadian Women’s Amateur champion shot a 2-over-par 74 on Tuesday to conclude the stroke-play portion of the event with a 5-over-par 149 total. That left the three-time CWGA Player of the Year and Wake Forest junior in 46th place.

The top 64 players make match play — which starts on Wednesday — and the competitors one stroke higher than Kupcho (150) had to go to a playoff for the final match play positions.

Kupcho (pictured), who finished 21st in last month’s U.S. Women’s Open and second individually in the Women’s NCAA Championship in May, started her round with a double bogey on Tuesday, and made one birdie, one bogey and 15 pars the rest of the way.

No other player with strong Colorado connections finished in the top 100 in stroke play. Colorado State University golfer Katrina Prendergast was the next best out of the local contingent with a 154 total (75-79), good for 102nd place.

Shannon Aubert of France was the medalist at 9-under-par 135 after rounds of 69-66.

Here are the scores for all the competitors with major Colorado connections:

U.S. Women’s Amateur
At Par-72 San Diego CC
ADVANCES TO MATCH PLAY
46. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 75-74–149
FAILED TO ADVANCE TO MATCH PLAY
102. CSU golfer Katrina Prendergast 75-79–154
123. CU golfer Brittany Fan 78-79–157
130. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang 79-79–158
140. Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch 82-77–159
142. CSU golfer Ellen Secor 79-81–160

For all the scores from the U.S. Women’s Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

The Wake Forest junior-to-be, a three-time CWGA Player of the Year, had a good start but a rough stretch later in the first round of the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club. She shot a 3-over-par 75 on Monday and trails co-leaders Haley Moore of Escondido, Calif., and Kristen Gillman of Austin, Texas by eight.

Kupcho (pictured), individual runner-up in the Women’s NCAA Championship and a 21st-place finisher in the U.S. Women’s Open, birdied two of her first three holes, but couldn’t add any more. She played her final dozen holes in 5 over par, making a double bogey on the par-4 15th. That left the 20-year-old in 61st place after round 1.

The top 64 players after Tuesday’s second round will advance to match play, which begins on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Colorado State University golfer Katrina Prendergast also posted a 75 after double bogeying her first hole on Monday. She finished the day with four birdies, five bogeys and the double.

The other players with strong Colorado ties will have some ground to make up in Tuesday’s second round in order to make match play. University of Colorado golfer Brittany Fan shot a 78, CSU golfer Ellen Secor a 79 and Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch an 82.

Here are the scores for all the competitors with major Colorado connections:

U.S. Women’s Amateur
At Par-72 San Diego CC
61. Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster 75
61. CSU golfer Katrina Prendergast 75
111. CU golfer Brittany Fan 78
120. Former Coloradan Elizabeth Wang 79
120. CSU golfer Ellen Secor 79
139. Mary Weinstein of Highlands Ranch 82

For all the scores from the U.S. Women’s Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

Jennifer Kupcho is a national champion — just not yet in the U.S.

The Westminster resident led wire-to-wire this week in earning the prestigious Canadian Women’s Amateur title on Friday at Cutten Fields in Guelph, Ontario, west of Toronto.

Kupcho, ranked No. 4 in the world among women’s amateurs after finishing 21st this month at the U.S. Women’s Open, prevailed by five strokes on Friday. She posted rounds of 65-70-66-72 for a 7-under-par 273 total. She made 20 birdies over the four days.

“I’m really excited,” Kupcho said. “I played really well this week and I’m just excited to get a national title.”

Next best in the 104th Canadian Women’s Am was another American, Lilia Kha-Tu Vu of Fountain Valley, Calif, the No. 5-ranked women’s amateur, who closed with a 73.

Kupcho becomes the second player with strong Colorado ties in the last decade to win the Canadian Women’s Amateur as then-University of Denver golfer Stephanie Sherlock claimed the title in 2007.

Kupcho, a Wake Forest junior-to-be, has proven herself to be among the best women amateurs in the world over the last two-plus months. She finished runner-up individually in the Women’s NCAA Championship in May, 21st and second low am in the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month, then earned the Canadian Women’s Amateur title on Friday. And in the midst of all that, last month the 20-year-old won her third consecutive CWGA Stroke Play, this one by 13 shots.

The next major championship on the agenda for Kupcho will be the U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club Aug. 7-13. Locally, Kupcho recently committed to compete in the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

For scores from the Canadian Women’s Amateur, CLICK HERE.