Kupcho’s eagle putt ties course record
STILLWATER — The crowd surrounding the ninth green erupted in cheers as Jennifer Kupcho’s face lit up.
After retrieving her ball from the hole, her teammates rushed to her side and told her something she was oblivious to.
“You just tied the course record.”
Kupcho’s 25-foot putt was for eagle, and she finished at 7-under-par 65 to tie the course record on Friday during the first round of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships at Karsten Creek Golf Club. After making a bogey on the previous hole, Kupcho said her focus was on finishing her round strong.
“I was really comfortable,” Kupcho said. “I had hit (my shots) well on the two holes before (the eagle). I just lipped out both putts.”
Kupcho said she has a couple of course records, but she was aiming for a 2-under score on Friday. Kupcho holds a three-shot lead on Northwestern’s Janet Mao, who carded a 4-under 68.
Sooners looking to relax heading into round two
Valerie Tanguay pumped her fist before turning to the gallery and putting her hands in the air.
Her birdie putt on 18 fell, closing her 3-over 75 on Friday. Although the Sooners struggled as a team, carding nine double bogeys and one triple to a 19-over performance, Tanguay’s strong finish is something coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell said was a positive.
Because Oklahoma has an afternoon tee time Saturday, Drouin-Luttrell said she wants her team to relax and focus on having fun before the second round.
“We just need to fight,” Drouin-Luttrell said. “The unforced errors really hurt us. You’ve got to play. You’ve got to have fun doing it. Today, it looked like we were trying too hard at times.”
Broze relies on experience during first round
Courtney Jones is pleased with how Emma Broze handled adversity Friday.
Broze, the lone Oklahoma State golfer to advance to the NCAA championships, carded a 1-over 73 in her first round. Jones, OSU’s coach, said Broze was able to bounce back from bogeys and handled the wind well.
Broze narrowly missed a birdie opportunity on 18, but Jones said the day was positive with how Broze responded to her poor holes.
“It was just a really steady day with what she had out there,” Jones said. “Some putts could have fallen, and it could have been a little lower. But she did a fantastic job of staying calm and really put up a nice score.”
By the numbers
10: Golfers under par, out of 132 in the field. Georgia’s Jillian Hollis was the third golfer to shoot an opening round 60, carding a 3-under 69.
7: Opening-round eagles. Three each were made on No. 9 and No. 18 while one eagle dropped on No. 1.
4.65: Average score on easiest hole, par-5 No. 18. Along with the three eagles, 53 players made birdies.
4.70: Average score on hardest hole, No. 6. A 350yard par 4, players made only eight birdies to 43 bogeys, 13 double bogeys and even a quintuple bogey.
CAMERON JOURDAN, FOR THE OKLAHOMAN