Kupcho wins ShopRite LPGA Classic

Westminster native Jennifer Kupcho wins first LPGA event in three years

By Jim Bebbington

LPGA veteran Jennifer Kupcho sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th green in the misty New Jersey rain Sunday afternoon to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic by one stroke.

Kupcho was neck-and-neck on the back nine Sunday, being challenged by Ilhee Lee of South Korea all the way to the final green. Lee birdied 18 before Kupcho’s final putt, tieing the Colorado native briefly before Kupcho sunk her tournament winner.

It was Kupcho’s fourth win on the LPGA since joining in 2019. Kupcho began her post-college career in the most visible way possible, winning the inaugural  2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur and then winning three times in 2022 including her first major, the Chevron Championship.

But since then she has not taken a trophy. She said after Sunday’s win she was relieved.

“It just feels amazing,” she told Golf Channel afterward. “I think I struggled a lot early in the year and had a lot of tough weeks, a lot of hard conversations, and it feels good.”

Kupcho missed the cut a week ago at the U.S. Women’s Open, but said that her game that weekend actually put her in a position to win this tournament.

“I played well last week; I think me and the U.S. Open sometimes just don’t get along,” she said. “I think I just carried my ball-striking into this week. I hit it well this week and just sunk some putts.”

Kupcho received $262,500 for winning the three-day event played at The Seaview Bay Course in New Jersey.