Kupcho ends LPGA title drought with Shoprite Classic crown

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Jennifer Kupcho rolled in a birdie putt at the final hole for a one-shot victory over Lee Il-hee at the Shoprite Classic, capturing her first LPGA title since 2022.

"It feels amazing," said Kupcho, a stellar amateur whose three LPGA titles in 2022 included a major at the Chevron Championship.

"I think I struggled a lot early in the year and had a lot of tough weeks, a lot of hard conversations, and it feels good," added the American, who birdied three of the last five holes to seal the win with a five-under-par final round of 66.

Kupcho was one of four players to start the day one shot behind South Korea's Lee and she gained ground quickly with birdies at the second, third and fifth.

Bogeys at the sixth and 11th were sandwiched around a birdie at the ninth, and Kupcho came home strong with birdies at 14, 16 and 18 for a 15-under par total of 198 in the 54-hole event at the Seaview Hotel & Country Club in Galloway, New Jersey.

Lee's hopes of adding a second LPGA title to her 2013 triumph in the Bahamas took a big hit as she bogeyed the first, third and seventh holes.

But the 36-year-old South Korean, whose career has been derailed by a debilitating shoulder injury, rebounded with three straight birdies at the ninth, 10th and 11th.

She was right back in the mix with a birdie at 14, but back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 weren't quite enough as her three-under 68 left her on 199.

"I had a couple of bad bounces on the first hole and third hole," Lee said. "I was just thinking, it's just golf. I was just trying the same things, same chipping, same putts ... trying to move my lower body a little bit because I was kind of a little bit shaky because I think it was first time for me to start as a leader, so I was kind of nervous.

"I got through (that) pretty quick and I finished great," Lee added.

South Korean Kim Sei-young carded a six-under 65 that included a hole-in-one eagle at the 17th and a birdie at 18 and gave her sole possession of third place on 12-under 201.

Kim teed off well before the leaders on a rainy, blustery day and had just two pars on a back nine that featured three straight birdies at 11, 12 and 13 before a double bogey at 14 and a bogey at 15.

"It was like a rollercoaster, up and down, up and down," said Kim, adding that after her three birdies in a row she thought she was in striking distance of a victory.

"That thinking made me a little bit nervous," she said, "that's why my tee shot at hole 14 goes way right."

Nevertheless with the tee moved up at 17 she knew she had a chance to make something happen and her wedge shot from off the tee found the cup for her third ace as a pro -- two on the LPGA tour and one on the Korean LPGA.

"Always it feels great," she said. "Amazing."