Picking Up Where She Left Off

It didn’t take long for Jennifer Kupcho to make a statement this college season.

In her first tournament of the new campaign, the Westminster resident not only claimed the individual title at the Ocean Course Invitational, but she cruised to a seven-stroke victory on Tuesday.

Kupcho, a Wake Forest junior who finished second on Friday at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open before heading to Kiawah Island, S.C., for the Ocean Course Invite, notched her fourth college win in the last 11 months.

Moreover, in her last six college events, dating back to mid-March, Kupcho has posted two victories and finished second three times and third once. That stretch includes her runner-up showing in the Women’s NCAA Finals in May.

Kupcho, the No. 3-ranked women’s amateur in the world, shot rounds of 69-68-70 for a 13-under-par 207 total on The Ocean Course, which is perhaps most famous for hosting the 1991 “War by the Shore” Ryder Cup Matches. Placing a distant second at 214 on Tuesday was Laura Kowohl of North Carolina State.

Kupcho, the Canadian Women’s Amateur champion, made 16 birdies over the course of 54 holes.

“Jennifer played awesome over all three rounds on a championship course,” Wake Forest coach Dianne Dailey said. “To shoot three consecutive rounds under par on this course is just outstanding golf.”