When it comes to girls state golf championships so far in 2014, Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster has put together a tour de force.
Less than a month after winning the 4A state high school title by a whopping 14 shots, Kupcho recorded another rout on Wednesday with a nine-stroke victory in the CWGA Junior Stroke Play at Buffalo Run Golf Course in Commerce City.
And while it can be argued that the field for the 4A state meet wasn’t particularly strong, the CWGA Junior Stroke Play featured two opponents who have signed with formidable NCAA Division I programs — Hannah Wood of Centennial (Oklahoma) and Calli Ringsby of Cherry Hills Village (Stanford).
“It was exciting,” said Kupcho, a senior-to-be at Jefferson Academy who has verbally committed to play college golf at Wake Forest. “It was a tough battle. It was a lot of fun to play against them.
“But the wind was pretty hard today and I play good in the wind. I figured I would be able to pull through. I kept battling and kept making pars, and I figured they’d eventually fall down, and they did.”
The victory marked the first CWGA championship for the 17-year-old Kupcho (pictured above and below), the 2013 CWGA Junior Player of the Year. Both Kupcho and Wood are part of the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course.
Kupcho shot a 3-under-par 69 in Wednesday’s final round despite the windy conditions to finish at 7-under 209 for three days. Wood and Ringsby, both playing in one of their final junior tournaments if not the last one, placed second and third, respectively. Wood closed with a 77 for a 218 total, while Ringsby struggled down the stretch and posted an 81 and 221 overall.
Kupcho’s nine-shot victory margin was one of the largest in CWGA Junior Stroke Play history. The only one larger in the last decade was Paige Spiranac’s 10-shot win in 2010. Before 2005, records for the tournament are spotty.
It was hard to foresee Wednesday’s outcome given that Kupcho and Ringsby shared the lead going the final round, with Wood just one behind. After four holes Wednesday, Kupcho and Wood were tied for the top spot. And through 12, it was still relatively close, with Kupcho holding a three-stroke advantage.
“To beat Jennifer today, I would have needed to make a lot of birdies. It just didn’t happen,” said Ringsby, the 2012 champion who was trying to become the first player in more than 20 years to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play at least twice.
Kupcho, who played in four USGA championships last year, gave herself a big lead on the par-3 13th. There, she drained a 25-foot birdie putt, while both Wood and Ringsby carded bogeys. That left Kupcho five ahead.
“Once I made that birdie putt, I was playing safe and made pars,” she said. “You don’t want to make a big mistake by going in the weeds. Put it in the fairway, on the green and two-putt for par.”
From there, Kupcho didn’t make any mistakes. Meanwhile, Wood was 4 over par on the last six holes, and Ringsby was 6 over for that same stretch.
“I thought I had a chance at the beginning (of the day),” said Wood, medalist in the recent U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links qualifying. “I was not really confident in my putting at all — all week. I just kept lipping out and lipping out. It was like that for three days straight. The ball was not dropping.” (Woods is pictured at left trying to coax in a putt.)
Said Ringsby: “I kind of lost my swing a little bit and couldn’t get the ball in the fairway. The rough is pretty tough. They’ve got a lot of hay, so if you’re not in the fairway you can’t really make a lot of birdies.”
Considering the stiff wind that kicked up periodically, Kupcho’s round of 69 was impressive. She made three birdies on the day, and her only bogey came at No. 4. No one else in the field broke 73 in the final round.
“I was hitting a lot of good shots,” Kupcho said. “I definitely could have made more putts, but it was a really good round compared to 68 and 72 (the first two days). For the 68, it was calm, short. This was definitely my best round.
“This is a three-day tournament and it’s hard to win it. It’s definitely an accomplishment to get it done.”
The winners in other flights on Wednesday were Kylee Sullivan (first flight), Sydney Gillespie and Courtney Ewing (second), Kacey Godwin (third), and Claire Stirdivant (fourth).
As for Ringsby (left) and Wood, Wednesday might have marked the end for their outstanding junior careers.
Wood won the CJGA Tournament of Champions each of the last two years, claimed the prestigious Kathy Whitworth Invitational junior title in Texas in 2013, competed in three USGA championships last year and just qualified for the 2014 U.S. Women’s Publinks.
“I’m a little sad about (realizing this was probably her junior finale),” Wood said. “I’ll come back for the CWGA tournaments, but I’ve got some bigger and better things ahead of me. That’s the bright side.”
Ringsby swept the CWGA junior championships in 2012 by winning the Junior Stroke Play and Junior Match Play. She also claimed the 5A state high school title last year. Ringsby represented the U.S. in the USA-China Youth Golf Match in 2012.
“It was fun (playing in junior events), but I’m definitely excited to move on to bigger and better tournaments and a college career — and hopefully professional too,” Ringsby said.
For scores from the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, CLICK HERE.
