Jennifer Kupcho continues to find her footing as a pro along the slopes on the mountain course at the Evian Championship.
With a 5-under-par 66, she moved two shots behind the leader, Paula Creamer, in Thursday’s first round.
After Kupcho’s victory in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in the spring, expectations soared when she turned pro and joined the LPGA last month. After a sluggish start, the rookie appears to be getting comfortable.
Full-field scores from the Evian Championship
“Honestly, coming off that win, there was a lot of pressure for me to perform, because I was in the spotlight and everyone was excited to see me,” said Kupcho, who also was an NCAA individual champ while at Wake Forest. “I think after a couple missed cuts earlier I was just like, ‘Relax, you just need to go play and prove who you really are.’”
Kupcho settled in at the Marathon Classic two weeks ago, tying for fifth. It was a welcomed performance after coming off back-to-back missed cuts. The finish got her into next week’s AIG Women’s British Open. Four of her first eight starts as a rookie will have been major championships. How is she approaching that?
“I’ve always been told it’s just another golf tournament,” Kupcho said. “Just got to come out and play. Obviously, a lot of people know Brooks Koepka’s way of doing it. I just come out and pretend it’s another golf tournament so I don’t overreact.”