STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Wake Forest junior Jennifer Kupcho found redemption Monday by winning an NCAA title she squandered a year ago.
Kupcho overcame a rough three-hole stretch on the front nine at Karsten Creek with five birdies over her final eight holes for a 1-under 71 and a two-shot victory over Andrea Lee of Stanford and Bianca Pagdanganan of Arizona.
Kupcho became the first Wake Forest woman to win an NCAA golf title.
She thought she had it last year at Rich Harvest Farm until she took triple bogey on the 17th hole of the final round when her 9-iron came up just short into the water and then she three-putted for a triple bogey, losing by one shot to Monica Vaughn of Arizona State.
Kupcho had a bogey-double bogey-bogey stretch in the middle of the back nine before she poured it on.
“My assistant coach was in my ear saying, ‘There is going to be mistakes down the stretch, just keep fighting, just keep fighting.’ Kind of got annoying to the point, but obviously it worked,” Kupcho said. “I came back and did it.”
