Coloradan on bubble to qualify for LPGA Tour’s lucrative CME Group Tour Championship as season winds down
By Gary Baines – 10/20/2019
Jennifer Kupcho of Westminster recorded her best showing on the LPGA Tour since July as she tied for 27th place on Sunday in the Buick LPGA Shanghai in China.
The former No. 1-ranked women’s amateur in the world posted rounds of 69-75-71-71 for a 2-under-par 286 total in China, where she played her final six holes in 3 under par and made an eagle on No. 17 on Sunday. The showing was worth $18,615, which puts Kupcho 43rd on the 2019 LPGA money list with $406,778.
After top two-five finishes in July, including a second place at the LPGA major at the Evian Championship, Kupcho missed the cut in five of her next six events before her top-30 showing in China.
Kupcho Kountdown: Over the coming weeks, we’ll be tracking how Kupcho is faring on the four-tournament LPGA Asian swing in late October and early November, which will decide whether she qualifies for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, set for Nov. 21-24 in Naples, Fla.
Kupcho needs to be in the top 60 in the season-long “Race to the CME Globe” points competition as of the end of the Toto Japan Classic on Nov. 10 in order to qualify for the Tour Championship.
With her finish on Sunday, Kupcho stands exactly 60th in the Race to the CME Globe points standings, having moved up from 64th. To see the complete list, CLICK HERE.
The CME Group Tour Championship will feature a $5 million purse, with $1.5 million going to the winner, which makes it the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf.
Kupcho didn’t start accumulating CME Globe points until late May, when she formally accepted her LPGA Tour card after wrapping up her college career at Wake Forest.
Kupcho and Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Dale Douglass will be the first recipients of the Hale Irwin Medal during a dinner at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs on Nov. 23. The medal recognizes outstanding Colorado golfers who “exhibit competitiveness, resiliency and a proven record of winning.” Should she qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship, Kupcho won’t be able to attend the Hale Irwin Dinner in person given the conflict of dates.