Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho built an amazing golf resume in Colorado; Take a look
By Gary Baines – 04/06/2019
Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday. For those of you who don’t know the in-depth golf background of the lifelong Coloradan — or who have forgotten the details of her many golf accomplishments in the Centennial State — here’s a rundown:
GENERAL
— 21 years old.
— Born in Littleton on May 14, 1997.
— Resident of Westminster.
— Family: Parents Mike and Janet Kupcho. Brother Steven Kupcho, the Colorado Golf Association Player of the Year in 2012.
— Longtime student of PGA instructor Ed Oldham of The Ranch Country Club in Westminster.
— Currently a senior on the Wake Forest women’s golf team.
GOLF HIGHLIGHTS IN COLORADO
— 3-time Colorado Golf Association Women’s Player of the Year (2014, 2015, ’16) and winner of the Colorado Women’s Golf Association’s highest honor, the President’s Award (2017).
— 3-time CGA Women’s Stroke Play champion (2015, ’16 and ’17) — with winning margins of 21 shots in 2015, 19 shots in 2016 and 13 shots in 2017).
— 2-time CGA Women’s Match Play champion (2014 and 2016), winning in 2016 12 and 10 in a scheduled 36-hole final.
— Finished second twice in CoBank Colorado Women’s Open (2014 and 2017), in 2014 as a 17-year-old.
— Represented Colorado in USGA Women’s State Team Championship (2013) as a 16-year-old.
— Named Colorado Amateur Athlete of Year — regardless of sport or gender — by Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (2019).
— Inducted into Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame (2017).
— Named Golf Person of the Year by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame (2016 and 2018).
— Named one of two winners (along with Dale Douglass) of inaugural Hale Irwin Medal, which recognizes outstanding Colorado golfers who exhibit competitiveness, resiliency and a proven record of winning.
— Winner of CGA Women’s Mashie team event (2016, with Gillian Vance).
— Winner of CGA Women’s Dunham Champman team event (2014 with Jaclyn Murray).
— 3-time Colorado Female Junior Player of the Year (2012, 2013 and 2014).
— Winner of two Class 4A girls state high school individual titles at Jefferson Academy (2014 and 2015), prevailing by 14 strokes in 2014 and by 10 in ’15. Also played basketball at Jefferson Academy.
— Was a member of the CGA’s Hale Irwin Player Program at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (2014).
— Winner of girls Colorado Junior Amateur (2014, by 9 strokes).
— 2-time winner of Colorado Junior PGA Championship (2012 and 2013).
— Winner of Colorado Junior Tournament of Champions title (2014, by 12 strokes).
— Winner of Colorado Junior Golf Association 11-13 Series title (2010) and 14-18 Series titles (2012, 2014).
— Represented Colorado at Girls Junior Americas Cup (2012, 2013, 2014). Finished eighth individually in 2014.
— 2-time winner of Big I Junior Classic girls state title (2013, 2015).
— Finished third in Big I National Championship (2015).
— Finished 29th in prestigious Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, in the 15-17 girls division (2014).
HIGHLIGHTS NATIONALLY/INTERNATIONALLY
— Has been the No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world for 26 weeks since July 2018.
— Winner of nine individual college titles at Wake Forest and has won her last two college tournaments.
— Winner of women’s NCAA Division I national title (2018), becoming first Coloradan to accomplish that feat. Previously finished sixth and second at national championship.
— Finished second out of 102 players in the eight-round LPGA Q-Series in the fall, easily earning her LPGA Tour card, which she’ll accept after concluding her college career in May.
— Represented U.S. on winning teams at Curtis Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and women’s World Amateur Team Championship (2018), finishing second individually in the world event.
— Finished LPGA Tour career-best 16th in LPGA Marathon Classic (2018).
— Became first American woman to win prestigious Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top women’s player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings as of the conclusion of U.S. Women’s Amateur (2018).
— Named world’s top female amateur golfer of 2018 by Global Golf Post.
— Winner of Canadian Women’s Amateur by 5 strokes (2017).
— 2-time contestant in U.S. Women’s Open: missed cut in 2016; finished 21st in 2017.
— 4-time contestant in U.S. Women’s Amateur: didn’t qualify for match play in 2013; round of 16 in 2015; round of 64 in 2017; round of 64 in 2018.
— 2-time contestant in U.S. Girls Junior: round of 32 in 2013; round of 64 in 2014.
— Competed in U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (2013): didn’t qualify for match play.
— Competed in U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball: round of 32 (with Gillian Vance) in 2015.