Just when it looked like a Colorado resident would win the Women’s NCAA Division I individual national golf title for the first time, a heartbreaking finish cost Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster the victory on Monday in Sugar Grove, Ill.
The Wake Forest sophomore held a two-stroke lead with two holes to play at Rich Harvest Farms, but a triple-bogey 7 on the 17th hole changed things dramatically and Kupcho had to settle for a tie for second place, one behind champion Monica Vaughn, a senior at Arizona State. The Coloradan closed with a 2-over-par 74 and posted a 2-over 218 total in the weather-shortened event. That left her to share the runner-up spot with the No. 1-ranked women’s player in the nation, Duke’s Leona Maguire, the only golfer to beat Kupcho in the ACC Championships.
Kupcho, a three-time CWGA Player of the Year, led — or at least shared the lead — for the first 16 holes on Monday, as she had after Sunday’s second round. She was 2 under for the day through 13 holes in windy conditions Monday on the 2009 Solheim Cup course. She made a bogey on 14, but was still in command despite playing in front of a national TV audience on the Golf Channel.
After a good tee shot into the fairway on the 367-yard 17th, her 127-yard approach with a wedge hit the bank short of the green and rolled back into the water. The problems compounded with a three-putt, leading to the triple — and suddenly she went from two ahead to one behind.
“Calculating the wind, we thought we had it perfect (on the approach shot),” Kupcho said on Golf Channel afterward. “I got over it and hit the ball just how I wanted. It just hit a few feet short.”
Kupcho still had a chance, with the par-5 18th hole remaining. And Vaughn had a couple of holes left — on the front nine (her back). But Kupcho’s tee shot on 18 went right, finishing inside the hazard line next to high grass. She pitched out to the fairway, then her 191-yard iron shot went a little long, against the collar of the rough. Her pitch ended up 8 feet short, but she made the par putt.
But Vaughn was strong down the stretch. After birdies on her 15th and 16th holes, a two-putt from 30 feet for par on her 18th hole secured the title by one stroke over Kupcho and Maguire.
Kupcho “played just super here, but just had that one bad hole,” said Wake Forest coach Dianne Dailey. “She’s such a wonderful young lady. … She did everything she cold do (and) that’s all you can ask.”.
A year after placing sixth in the NCAA Finals, Kupcho finished her sophomore season with three individual victories, including one in the NCAA Regionals.
She made the run at the national title just three months after suffering a concussion in a freak mid-round accident during a February tournament in Palos Verdes, Calif.
After being 2 under par through 10 holes, she was among the players being shuttled from tee to green on the par-3 second hole (her 11th). With Kupcho facing backward on a motorized cart and holding onto her trailing push cart, a spectator accidentally stepped onto the cart path too soon as the motorized cart was passing. He got tangled up with Kupcho’s cart, pulling her onto the path, where she landed on her back, with her head also hitting the concrete.
Though Kupcho was temporarily cleared to continue to play, she struggled to a first-round 75. The next morning, she didn’t pass standard concussion protocol and was forced to withdraw from the tournament, leaving her with a last-place finish in the 88-player event.
After missing about a week of classes and team activity, Kupcho was fully cleared on Feb. 20 to return to the classroom and to golf. Though she finished 47th in her next tournament, in early March, she hasn’t placed outside the top three since. For the season, besides her three individual wins, Kupcho has finished second three times, third once and fourth once.
“I’m really proud,” Kupcho said. “I recovered from the concussion and came out stronger. Unfortunately, it came down to this, but I’ll come back stronger hopefully.”
Coloradans interested in seeing Kupcho compete in her home state won’t have long to wait. She’s in the field for Wednesday’s 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open qualifying tournament at Riverdale Dunes in Brighton. Kupcho qualified for the Women’s Open last year.
(May 23 Update: Kupcho was subsequently named a first-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.)
Women’s NCAA Division I Finals
May 19-22, 2017 (final) in Sugar Grove, Ill.
T2. Coloradan Jennifer Kupcho, Wake Forest 74-70-74–218
For complete results, CLICK HERE.
