You see, she has more pressing matters to attend to, like trying to win the Women’s NCAA Division I national title.

The Wake Forest sophomore eagled the second hole and added four birdies on Sunday to shoot a 2-under-par 70 and get back to even-par overall at 144. That gave her the individual lead by one stroke after round 2 of the NCAA Finals at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

Kupcho (pictured), a three-time CWGA Player of the Year, is looking for her fourth individual title of the college season — and by far her biggest. She’s coming off a victory in an NCAA Regional tournament in Athens, Ga.

A year after placing sixth at the NCAA Finals as a freshman, Kupcho will be seeking the top spot when the stroke-play portion of the event concludes on Monday. One behind the Coloradan going into the final round is August Kim of Purdue, who carded a 73 on Sunday.

The nation’s top two-ranked women’s collegians are among those within four strokes of Kupcho, who is No. 3 in the country according to Golfstat. Top-ranked Leona Maguire of Duke, who won the ACC Championship where Kupcho finished second, and No. 2 Andrea Lee of Stanford both stand at 148 after a second-round 71s.

Golf Channel will televise Monday’s action from 2-6 p.m. (MT).

As for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame dinner tonight, also honored will be 2017 inductee M.J. Mastalir, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado (distinguished service award) and Rick Polmear (lifetime achievement).

For an earlier story about honorees, CLICK HERE.

Women’s NCAA Division I Finals
May 19-22, 2017 in Sugar Grove, Ill.
1. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 74-70–144

For complete results, CLICK HERE.
 

Which is to say, the Wake Forest sophomore was consistently in or around the lead on Friday.

Kupcho (pictured), who won the NCAA Regional in Athens, Ga., last week, was in the outright lead with two holes left in her first round Friday in Sugar Grove, Ill., but had to settle for being two strokes out of the top spot after going double bogey-bogey on her final two holes in cold, rainy and windy conditions at Rich Harvest Farms.

The three-time CWGA Player of the Year, who ranks No. 3 among the nation’s female college players, shot a 2-over-par 74. That leaves her tied for fifth place, two behind co-leaders August Kim of Purdue and Elodie Van Dievoet of Michigan.

Kupcho, who placed sixth in the NCAA finals as a freshman, finished round 1 with six birdies, six bogeys and a double bogey. Friday ended her streak of 12 straight sub-par college rounds.

Kupcho owns three individual wins this college season.

The stroke-play portion of the Women’s NCAA DI nationals continues through Monday, with the final round being televised by the Golf Channel.

Meanwhile, at the Women’s NCAA Division II finals in Findlay, Ohio, two Coloradans will go into the final round in the top 20 individually.

Freshman Mary Weinstein of Regis University and junior Alex Trask of William Jewell College in Missouri share 19th place after Friday’s third round.

Weinstein, winner of two Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors and the 5A girls state high school title in 2016, shot her second consecutive 9-over-par 81. Trask, meanwhile, posted a 78 on Friday. Both stand at 19-over-par 235, 11 strokes behind co-leaders Ann Parmerter of Dallas Baptist and Marie Coors of St. Leo.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday.

Women’s NCAA Division I Finals
May 19-22, 2017 in Sugar Grove, Ill.
5. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 74

Women’s NCAA Division II Finals
May 17-20, 2017 in Findlay, Ohio
19. Mary Weinstein, Regis 73-81-81–235
19. Coloradan Alex Trask, William Jewell 75-82-78–235
 

The first-year player from Wake Forest finished tied for sixth place individually Monday at the Women’s NCAA Division I Finals in Eugene, Ore.

Kupcho (left), who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open a week ago in Colorado, entered Monday’s final round in second place, but six out of the lead. A 2-over-par 74 in round 4 didn’t allow her to make a run at the title, but she was in the top four until finishing with back-to-back bogeys.

Kupcho’s 5-under-par 283 total at Eugene Country Club was 11 behind individual national champion Virginia Elena Carta, a freshman from Duke.

Kupcho, the two-time CWGA Player of the Year, finished her freshman season on a strong note, with four consecutive top-six finishes, including a runner-up in the ACC Championships.

The two-time Colorado state high school champion currently sits No. 43 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings.

For all the scores from the Women’s DI Finals, CLICK HERE.

(Updated May 24) On Tuesday, both Kupcho and University of Colorado junior Esther Lee were honored by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. Lee was named a Second-Team All-American and Kupcho an Honorable Mention All-American.

Lee, who earned the second-team honor for the second straight year, is ranked 19th among the nation’s women’s college golfers according to Golfstat, and 22nd by Golfweek. She posted 11 top-20 finishes in 11 tournaments as a junior.

Kupcho, the Wake Forest freshman who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open on Monday in Colorado, shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 67 on Sunday — which tied for the second-best round of the day at Eugene Country Club — and will take a 7-under-par total of 209 total into Monday’s final round of the individual championship.

The two-time CWGA Player of the Year trails leader Virginia Elena Carta of Duke by six strokes and shares second place with Dewi Weber of Miami and Cheyenne Knight of Alabama. Kupcho, who has posted rounds of 69-73-67, made five birdies on Sunday and has tallied 14 overall.

Kupcho, who sits No. 43 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, is attempting to finish out her college season with four consecutive top-10 finishes.

For all the scores from the Women’s DI Finals, CLICK HERE.

The Wake Forest freshman, competing strictly as an individual at the Women’s NCAA Division I Finals in Eugene, Ore., rallied late in her round to open with a 3-under-par 69, which left her in an eight-way tie for third place with three rounds remaining.

The two-time CWGA Player of the Year played her final seven holes in 4 under par — and made five birdies overall — to finish day 1 just one stroke out of the lead, held jointly by August Kim of Purdue and Haley Moore of Arizona.

Kupcho has certainly been on a roll of late. In addition to qualifying — and earning Sectional medalist honors — for the U.S. Women’s Open Monday at Heritage at Westmoor, her last three college finishes have been second, second and sixth, with one of the runner-ups coming at the ACC Championships.

The Coloradan is 43rd in both the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, and in Golfweek’s national women’s college rankings.

Kupcho will play at least three rounds, but if she finishes 54 holes among the top nine individuals not on one of the top 15 teams that make the cut, she’ll play a fourth and final round on Monday. That’s when the individual champion will be determined.

For all the scores from the Women’s DI Finals, CLICK HERE.