Water ball on final hole after sharing lead leaves Jennifer Kupcho with third-place showing in Northern Ireland; it’s her ninth top-10 on LPGA Tour; Aspen’s Liselotte Neumann places distant second in U.S. Senior Women’s Open
By Gary Baines – 8/1/2021
Someday, Jennifer Kupcho may look back on what happened Sunday as adversity she overcame on the way to further success. But immediately in the wake of the moment, it stung, without a doubt.
That showed on the Colorado native’s face after she hit her third shot into the water on the par-5 18th at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Island. The 24-year-old, seeking her first LPGA victory, led by one through 16 holes on Sunday and shared the top spot going into No. 18.
But on the 18th, Kupcho’s second shot finished in the rough, leaving her with little green to work with en route to the pin, with water short and left. After backing off the shot initially, Kupcho pulled her third and it splashed into the water.
After a moment, she squatted down, looking at the ground in disappointment — perhaps disbelief.
Kupcho ended up making a 15-footer for bogey after taking her drop, but finished one stroke out of a playoff involving Pajaree Anannarukarn and Emma Talley, who she led by one through 70 holes. Anannarukarn ended up with the title after a playoff that lasted two holes.
So Kupcho, winner of the 2020 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open, keeps knocking on the door, but hasn’t yet kicked it down on the LPGA Tour.
Sunday marked the ninth top-10 of Kupcho’s LPGA career, with four of those having come in 2021. All told, she has three second places, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a seventh, a ninth and a 10th.
In Northern Ireland, Kupcho went 66-69-70-71 for a 15-under-par 276 total. She earned $94,707.
For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
Liselotte Neumann Can’t Overtake Annika: Part-time Aspen-area resident Liselotte Neumann eagled the opening hole on Sunday to inch within a stroke of fellow Swede Annika Sorenstam at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. But overtaking Sorenstam in the final round wasn’t in the cards in Fairfield, Conn.
So Sorenstam, who won the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, prevailed at the USSWO by eight strokes in her first try at the event, and Neumann finished second on Sunday.
Neumann, winner of the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open, made an eagle, a birdie and five bogeys on Sunday for a 2-over-par 74, leaving her at 4-under 284 for the week.
Fellow Coloradans Hollis Stacy (a three-time U.S. Women’s Open champ) and Sherry Andonian-Smith (a PGA instructor at Valley Country Club) tied for 41st place at 302.
Here are the scores for all the players with significant Colorado connections who competed at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open:
2. Liselotte Neumann, Aspen 70-69-71-74–284
41. Sherry Andonian-Smith, Centennial 74-74-78-76—302
41. Part-time Colorado resident Hollis Stacy 75-75-76-76–302
47. 2021 CGA Women’s Senior Match Play winner Sue Wooster (amateur) 74-78-74-78–304
Missed 36-Hole Cut
Janet Moore, Centennial (amateur) 80-79–159
For all the scores from Brooklawn Country Club, CLICK HERE.
Colorado Resident Places 16th in Men’s Olympic Golf: Scott Vincent, who resides in Castle Rock and plays out of Colorado Golf Club, tied for 16th place out of 60 golfers at the men’s Olympic golf competition in Saitama, Japan.
Competing for Zimbabwe in southeastern Africa, Vincent posted rounds of 73-67-66-67 for an 11-under-par 273 total. Xander Schauffele (266) claimed the gold medal, Rory Sabbatini (267 after a final-round 61) the silver and C.T. Pan (269) the bronze.
For all the scores from the men’s Olympic golf, CLICK HERE.
This coming week, former University of Denver golfer Tonje Daffinrud from Norway will compete in the women’s Olympic golf.