
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
8 hours ago
- France 24
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.


France 24
18 hours ago
- France 24
Rap star Snoop Dogg wants to open burger van at Celtic
The American music icon has previously expressed interest in buying a stake in the Glasgow club after being inspired by the success of Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at English second-tier side Wrexham. But the 53-year-old has now set his sights on a more modest connection with a team he has long admired. Snoop Dogg, who has published a recipe book called 'From Crook to Cook', once described Celtic supporters as "special" and said he identified with the club's mascot Hoopy the Hound. He told the Sunday Mail that Celtic fans would flock to the burger van and that it would become a foodie "Paradise", the nickname give to the club's Parkhead stadium. "I would love to bring a pop-up burger van to a sports stadium to show fans that food at stadiums can be good," he said. "It's got to be Celtic Park, man. The secret to a good burger is the love in the preparation. The ground beef has got to be mixed with some secret spices, then add a good quality cheese and some maple-cured bacon. "The Celtic fans are gonna love it, and to make sure they are just right, Snoop is going to be serving them himself." Snoop Dogg worked as a correspondent for NBC at the Paris Olympics last year, has launched two youth football leagues, and has been a vocal advocate for pay equality for female athletes. He claimed he would not be taking his culinary ventures to Celtic's arch rivals Rangers. "Am I going to bring my burgers to Rangers as well? Nah, I think we will give that a miss," he said.


France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Denmark's Antonsen wins first Indonesia Open crown, An downs China's Wang
The 28-year-old Dane sunk world number seven Chou at the Indonesian capital's Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women's singles final, South Korean ace and world number one An fought back from one game down to beat China's Wang Zhi Yi in three games. She beat her Chinese rival 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 in 81 minutes. An, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, said she was "happy" to win another Indonesia Open title after securing her first in 2021. "It was a weird game, a difficult game. But fortunately, I can find my own confidence and never gave up," An told reporters via an interpreter. French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue triumphed against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. The pair, ranked 10th in the world, beat the sixth-ranked Thai pair 21-16, 21-18 in a 48-minute match, securing France's first Super 1000 title.