It has a satisfying ring to it.

Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, the Women’s NCAA Division I individual champion from Wake Forest, has represented the U.S. in three major international team competitions in the last three months. And in those championships, the Americans went 3-0.

The victories in the Curtis Cup and the Arnold Palmer Cup were nice, but there were just two teams involved in each case. At this week’s Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, there were 57 teams competing.

And though it was the Americans’ 14th victory in the competition, it was their first in 20 years.

Now that’s satisfying.

“It was so exciting to win as a team!” Kupcho said in a text exchange with ColoradoGolf.org. “We worked so well together and truly fought for every stroke because we wanted to win so badly for each other.”

(The victorious U.S. team is pictured, from left, Kristen Gillman, Kupcho, Lilia Vu and captain Stasia Collins in a USGA photo.)

The only thing that would have made it better for Kupcho would have been winning the individual competition in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday. But after holding the outright lead on several occasions in the middle of the final round — including with four holes remaining — she had to settle for second place individually out of 170 players.

But given the way individual champion Ayean Cho of South Korea played down the stretch, that undoubtedly made coming up a little short easier to take. Cho struggled in a big way at the end of the front nine on Saturday, playing her final five holes of that side in 4 over par.

But Cho, the No. 18-ranked women’s amateur in the world, kicked it into high gear on the back nine, shooting a 5-under 31. She played her final eight holes in 5 under and her final four in 3 under. Even with Kupcho posting a 2-under 34 on the back nine — and a 4-under 69 for the day — she couldn’t keep pace down the stretch.

Cho ended up with a 3-under-par 70 to finish at 17-under-par 273. Kupcho, the top-ranked women’s amateur in the world, shared second place individually at 275 with Japan’s Yuka Yasuda. Kupcho posted five birdies and one bogey in the final round.

“Individually I struggled with a couple of bad shots and a missed 1 1/2-footer on the 17 so congratulations to Ayean,” Kupcho texted. “She’s a great player and it was fun to play with her all four days.”

But this is primarily a team event, and the U.S. put its best foot forward by fielding a squad which featured the top three-ranked women’s amateurs in the world — Kupcho, UCLA’s Lilia Vu and Alabama’s Kristen Gillman, who recently won her second U.S. Women’s Amateur title.

The Americans took the lead after the second round and expanded it on day 3 and day 4.

With a 29-under-par total, the U.S. ended up prevailing by 10 strokes over runner-up Japan and by 11 over defending champion South Korea.

With the top two scores each day counting toward the team total, the Americans shot a 10-under 136 on Saturday, with Gillman carding a 67 and Kupcho a 69. Vu closed with a 74.

All three of the U.S. players finished in the top 20 individually, with Kupcho second (275), Gillman fourth (278) and Vu 17th (288).

The last time the U.S. had won the team title in this event was in 1998, when Coloradan Barbara McIntire was the non-playing captain.

Meanwhile, University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins shot a 71 on Saturday to finish in 92nd place at 303 for four days. Her Australian team placed 14th at 577.

Here are the scores for the U.S. team, including Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, in addition to those of CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, who’s competing for her native Australia:

1. (out of 57 teams) USA 142-130-143-136–551
2. (out of 170 individuals) Jennifer Kupcho 70-65-71-69–275
4. Kristen Gillman 74-65-72-67–278
17. Lilia Vu 72-69-73-74–288

Also
92. CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, Australia 75-74-83-71–303

For all the results from the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, CLICK HERE.

Before the new millennium, the Americans won the competition 13 times. But after capturing the title in 1998, when Coloradan Barbara McIntire was captain, the spigot has been closed.

Not once in the 21st century has the U.S. prevailed in this world championship.

But this year’s American squad, led by Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster, might end the drought. Through Friday’s third round of the 72-hole event in Dublin, Ireland, the U.S. leads defending champion South Korea by five strokes.

With the American team featuring the top three-ranked women’s amateurs in the world — including Kupcho in the No. 1 slot — it’s played up to its billing so far. With the top two scores each day counting toward the team total, the U.S. shot a 1-under-par 143 on Friday, putting the Americans at 19-under 415 overall going into Saturday’s final round.

South Korea checks in at 420 and Japan at 421 in the 57-team event.

For the third straight day, Kupcho posted the low score for the U.S. — or at least tied for the low of the day. The NCAA Division I individual champion from Wake Forest remained in third place out of 170 players, rallying at the end of her round to stay three strokes behind the leader, Ayean Cho of South Korea. Second place Yuka Yasuda of Japan stands in second, two ahead of Kupcho.

After two rounds of going bogey-free, the Coloradan bogeyed her first two holes on Friday and was 3 over par for the day through six holes. But she righted the ship and finished with a flurry, playing her final seven holes in 4 under par. Her 1-under-par 71 put her at 11-under 206.

Teammate Kristen Gillman, the two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, is in fourth place at 211 after a 72 on Friday. And Lilia Vu is tied for sixth at 214 after a third-round 214.

(Team USA is pictured, from left: Vu, Gillman and Kupcho.)

Meanwhile, University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins sits in 114th place individually as a third-round 83 left her at 232 for three days. Her Australian team shares 17th place at 438.

Play in the event will conclude on Saturday.

Here are the scores for the U.S. team, including Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, in addition to those of CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, who’s competing for her native Australia:

1. (out of 57 teams) USA 142-130-143–415
3. (out of 170 individuals) Jennifer Kupcho 70-65-71–206
4. Kristen Gillman 74-65-72–211
6. Lilia Vu 72-69-73–214

Also
114. CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, Australia 75-74-83–232

For all the results from the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, CLICK HERE.

Kupcho, the reigning Women’s NCAA Division I individual champion from Wake Forest, had her second straight bogey-free day on Thursday, making eight birdies. In an eight-hole stretch starting at No. 3, she made six birdies. That puts the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world at 10-under 135 at the halfway point of the event.

In the 170-player individual competition, Kupcho trails only co-leaders Yuka Yasuda of Japan and Ayean Cho of South Korea, who sit at 132, three ahead of the Coloradan. Cho fired a 64 on Thursday and Yasuda a 67.

“I was hitting the ball really well and I actually made a quite a few putts but I left a few out there too,” Kupcho told the USGA. “So I need to work on my putting a little bit.”

In the team competition, the U.S. moved into a position befitting a team with the top three-ranked women’s amateurs in the world. With the top two scores each day from the three-person squad counting toward the team total, the Americans posted a stellar 16-under 130 total on Thursday, with two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kristen Gillman matching Kupcho’s 65. Lilia Vu carded a 69.

(Team USA is pictured in a USGA photo, from left: Gillman, captain Stasia Collins, Kupcho and Vu.)

After two days, the U.S. stands at 18-under 272, a 36-hole record for this event and one stroke better than defending champion South Korea and three ahead of Japan. In all, 57 teams are competing in the tournament.

All three of the Americans are in the top 10 individually. With Kupcho in third, Gillman is in sixth place at 139, while Vu shares seventh at 141.

The U.S. finished sixth at the last biennial Women’s WATC, in 2016 as South Korea won. 

Meanwhile, University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins sits in 66th place individually as a 74 left her at 149 for two days. Her Australian team shares 12th place at 289.

Play in the event will continue through Saturday.

Here are the scores for the U.S. team, including Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, in addition to those of CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, who’s competing for her native Australia:

1. (out of 57 teams) USA 142-130–272
3. (out of 170 individuals) Jennifer Kupcho 70-65–135
6. Kristen Gillman 74-65–139
7. Lilia Vu 72-69–141

Also
T62. CU golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, Australia 75-74–149

For all the results from the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, CLICK HERE.

The Westminster resident is playing on a U.S. squad this week for the third time in 2018. She previously helped American teams win the Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup.

Claiming the title this week will certainly be tougher as there are 57 teams competing in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championships in Dublin, Ireland. There were just two teams at both the Curtis Cup and the Palmer Cup.

Play began Wednesday in the 72-hole World event, with the U.S. finishing the day in eightth place as the top two scores from each three-person team counts toward the country’s total.

The Americans posted a 2-under-par 142 total, which leaves them six strokes behind leader Japan with three rounds remaining.

Kupcho (left), the reigning Women’s NCAA Division I individiaul champion from Wake Forest, led the way for the U.S., shooting a 2-under-par 70 on Wednesday. The world’s top-ranked women’s amateur made two birdies and 16 pars in round 1. She trails leaer Yuka Yasuda of Japan by five in the individual competition.

The other scores for the U.S. team were a 72 from Lilia Vu and a 74 from two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kristen Gillman. The American team is comprised of the top three-ranked women’s amateurs in the world.

The U.S. finished sixth at the last biennial Women’s WATC, in 2016 as South Korea won. 

Meanwhile, University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins opened with a 75 on Wednesday, which leaves her in 62nd place individually. Her Australian team shares sixth place at 141.

For all the results from the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, CLICK HERE.

The USGA announced last week that Kupcho will be one of three golfers who will represent the U.S. in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Dublin, Ireland Aug. 29-Sept. 1. The Women’s NCAA Division I individual champion from Wake Forest earned that automatic selection by virtue of being the top-ranked American player in the Women’s WAGR as of the July 25 update.

“Jennifer is a terrific young woman and golf talent who represented the United States at this year’s Curtis Cup Match,” said Stasia Collins, the American team captain for the WATC. “We couldn’t be prouder to have her as our ambassador in Ireland.”

It will be the third time in the last few months that Kupcho (left) will play for the U.S. in a major team competition. She helped American squads claim titles in both the Curtis Cup and the Arnold Palmer Cup. Kupcho is now No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings behind fellow American Lilia Vu.

The other two U.S. representatives for the U.S. Women’s World Amateur Team Championship will be determined after this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs. The tournament champion will be guaranteed a spot on the team.

The U.S. finished sixth at the last biennial Women’s WATC, in 2016 as South Korea won. The top two scores for each team each day will count toward the team total.

Another player with strong Colorado ties who will compete in the 2018 Women’s WATC will be University of Colorado golfer Kirsty Hodgkins, who will represent her native Australia.