Wake Forest University
NCAA Championship
Kupcho Holds First Round Lead at NCAAs
5/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWGolf)
STILLWATER, Okla. – Wake Forest junior Jennifer Kupcho is the first-round leader at the NCAA Women's Golf Championship as the tournament began Friday at the Karsten Creek Golf Club. Kupcho holds a 3-shot lead on the individual leaderboard as the Demon Deacons are tied for 13th place as a team after the opening 18 holes.
Kupcho tied the Karsten Creek course record with a 7-under 65, capped by a 30-foot eagle putt on the last hole. She had seven birdies along with that eagle with just two bogeys. The round of 65 was one shot off the 18-hole Wake Forest scoring record 64 she carded earlier this month at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. She also was one shot off the NCAA Championship single-round record of 64 set by LSU's Meghan McChrystal in 2010 at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.
Kupcho, who finished T-6th at the NCAA Championship as a freshman and was the tournament's runner-up last year as a sophomore, leads a field where just 10 of 132 players broke par on Friday.
"Jennifer had a phenomenal round today with seven birdies and an eagle," said head coach Dianne Dailey. "It was amazing golf as she brought her A-game to the course. She had two chip-ins and three 30-foot putts, including for eagle on the last hole. To tie the course record, for both men and women, was incredible and fun to watch. She helped our team stay in the mix but the students will have to pick up some shots tomorrow, which we are capable of doing."
The Demon Deacons shot 18-over as a team to tie Colorado for 13th place after one round. USC holds the 18-hole lead at 3-over. Emilia Migliaccio had a round of 78 while Monica Schumacher and Siyun Liu rounded out the scoring four for the Demon Deacons with rounds of 81 and 82, respectively.
The NCAA Championship continues Saturday and runs through Wednesday at the Karsten Creek Golf Course. All 24 teams play the first three rounds before the field is cut for Monday's final round of stroke play. The top eight teams following the fourth round compete in match play Tuesday and Wednesday for the team title.
Players Mentioned
