
Kupcho ends LPGA title drought with Shoprite Classic crown
"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.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
FIFA's Club World Cup finally faces the ultimate test
But the 32-team tournament, which will be played across the USA from June 14 to July 13, has faced criticism and scepticism since the moment FIFA president Gianni Infantino began to float the idea. As a completely new arrival in an already crowded football landscape it remains to be seen whether the competition proves able to carve out a regular place in the calendar. Players representatives, such as global union FIFPRO, have warned of excessive workload on players while others have questioned whether fans will turn out in big enough numbers for the group stage fixtures. "Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts," FIFPRO warned when FIFA formally announced the tournament in 2023. Certainly the event adds to an already busy schedule for the world's top players. Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and Paris Saint-Germain's Desire Doue both played in UEFA's Champions League final on May 31 and then switched shirts to represent their country in the Nations League finals in Germany days later. They have since rejoined their clubs for the new FIFA tournament in which both sides are expected to advance to the latter stages. Those games late in the tournament, likely to feature the top European clubs against the best South American sides, should draw big crowds but it remains to be seen how well ticket sales go for the group-stage games with less globally famous clubs from Asia, North America and Africa included. Captivated Fixtures such as the June 17 encounter in Orlando between South Korean club Ulsan HD and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns will certainly require all the power of American marketing to attract a full house. But FIFA hopes that with broadcasters DAZN offering free streaming of the tournament and the lure of giant club and player brands, fans around the world will be captivated by the new competition. "We are talking about something never seen before (that will) bring the magic of a national team World Cup to the club level," Infantino said. "This tournament will be the beginning of something historic, something that will change our sport for the better and for all future generations who will come to love it as we do," he added. In an era when players drive interest as much as, if not more than clubs, the involvement of stars such as Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe should ensure social media is buzzing. Twelve of the 32 teams come from Europe including freshly crowned Champions League winners PSG, the continent's most successful club Real Madrid, Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea, and German powerhouses Bayern Munich. South America's six teams are made up of four Brazilian clubs, including Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and their Rio de Janeiro rivals Flamengo, along with Argentina's two biggest clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors. Adding local interest, there are three teams from Major League Soccer -- Los Angeles FC, the Seattle Sounders and Messi's Inter Miami, as well as a pair of clubs from Mexico in Pachuca and Monterrey, who can expect plenty of support in the USA. Four clubs represent Africa, including Egypt's storied Al Ahly who open the tournament against Messi and Miami on June 14, while Asia's quartet includes Saudi club Al-Hilal. American fans regularly snaffle up tickets for the big European teams who come to NFL stadiums to play pre-season friendly games and so the added competitive element should see healthy crowds for the headline performers. Questions over how seriously the clubs would take the new competition became somewhat muted after FIFA announced the huge prize fund. The billion dollars are split between participation fees for all clubs and the rewards for those going deep in the tournament. The winner could leave with as much as $125 million. FIFA's current plan is for the tournament to be held every four years but it will be interesting to see if that changes after the first test of its appeal. If it is a flop, the critics will likely re-appear and question whether it is needed at all but should it be a roaring success, it is not hard to imagine some at FIFA pushing for it to be held on a more regular basis. © 2025 AFP


France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
World Cup 2026 host cities say fans 'welcome'
In a briefing in New York that came just over a year from the opening game of the tournament on June 11, 2026, officials said President Donald Trump's administration remained "extremely supportive" of the World Cup. Since returning to power, Trump has started a global trade war, threatened to annex Canada and launched a border crackdown that has led to harsh treatment of foreign visitors attempting to enter the United States. Trump's immigration offensive has in turn led to civil unrest, with clashes in Los Angeles over the weekend triggered by large-scale raids last week. Eleven American cities will host the bulk of the games at next year's World Cup, which is being co-hosted by three nations for the first time and has been expanded to include 48 teams. Executives from the local organising committees for the 11 US World Cup venues gathered in New York on Monday to brief on logistical aspects of the tournament, including transportation, stadium access, fan zones as well as general access to the United States. "For each of our cities, we want to be prepared to make any person that is coming and makes the decision to come to the United States or come to this World Cup feel that they are welcome," said Meg Kane, head of the Philadelphia organising committee. 'Extremely supportive' Kane said while officials were planning "within uncertainty" due to matters taking place at national and international level, the Trump administration was firmly behind the tournament. "We do not play a role necessarily in what is happening in terms of the decisions that are made," Kane said. "What we can say is that the current administration -- while there are certain situations that we are monitoring closely -- has been extremely supportive of FIFA World Cup." Alex Lasry, the chief executive of the New York/New Jersey World Cup committee said officials were bracing for "millions" of fans inside and outside the stadiums irrespective of the political climate. "I think sports transcends geopolitics," Lasry told AFP. "I think we've seen that for Olympics. We've seen it for other World Cups, in Qatar or Russia. "People want to come to these mega sporting events, and they're going to travel to ensure that they're able to cheer on and see their team play. "Our job as a host committee is to make sure that we are putting on an event and making sure that our city and our region is ready to welcome everyone who's able to come to the World Cup," added Lasry, who was previously an assistant secretary for tourism in President Joe Biden's government. Los Angeles World Cup committee vice-president Jason Krutzsch said organisers were working to ensure fans "understand that they are welcome in Los Angeles and will have an amazing World Cup experience." "We're working closely with the administration," Krutzsch said adding that Trump's World Cup Task Force was established to "make sure that we can welcome fans from around the world and deliver an exceptional experience." As well as hosting games at the World Cup, Los Angeles will also stage the Super Bowl in 2027 before hosting the 2028 Olympics. "We really want to make sure that 2026 goes well," Krutzsch said. "We're really focused on delivering an exceptional experience in 2026 for the world.


France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Back after first major win, Johnson again seeks top form at Oakmont
The 40-year-old American, who also won the 2020 Masters, called Oakmont the hardest course he has played on Monday but says his 2016 US Open victory boosts his hopes when the 125th US Open begins Thursday. "I have confidence in this golf course because I know I played well," he said. "This week puts a lot of pressure on the driver. I feel like I'm driving the ball really good right now. "You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here." Johnson finished on four-under 276 for a three-shot victory in 2016, solving the iconic course by avoiding its dense rough. "I drove it really straight. I hit a lot of fairways. That was the only reason I shot that well," Johnson said. ""Seems like it's tougher this time around, but that's just maybe with the little bit of added length." Johnson has won at least once in each of the past six years and three times in three years since jumping from the PGA Tour to Saudi-backed LIV Golf. But he hasn't won since 2024 in Las Vegas. "I don't feel like I've slipped any. My scores haven't reflected, but it is a really fine line," Johnson said. "For me it's always really close to being good, but just getting back there and keeping it consistent. Over the last couple months I'm starting to see a lot of patterns and the game feels like it's coming back into good form." Johnson said he doesn't see more pressure to perform well in majors because he plays in LIV Golf, where a lack of world ranking points limits potential qualifying for majors. "Not really. It's still a major. It's still the same amount of pressure no matter where you're playing," Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to playing in it this week and hopefully can contend." This week marks only the second time Johnson has returned to Oakmont since his debut major win, the other occasion being to accept an honorary membership in the club. "I'm probably their favorite member because I never come," Johnson said. "It's really nice to be back. The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder. I like coming back here. A lot of good memories from that year."