Drought snapped for Jennifer Kupcho — Quotes from Battle Creek
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, June 12, 2025
A win at the 2025 ShopRite LPGA Classic snapped a nearly three-year drought for Jennifer Kupcho.
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In a tournament with enough rain to satisfy the rest of the summer, Jennifer Kupcho shot a final-round 5-under 66 to win her fourth LPGA Tour title. She birdied the 54th hole in walk-off fashion to top Ilhee Lee by one stroke.
Kupcho’s week at the LPGA’s 54-hole sprint was steady and consistent. Her three rounds of 68, 64 and 66 kept her in contention with both Lee, who shot a 63 in Round 1, and Sei Young Kim, whose 65 in the final round propelled her to third place. Low scores were carded by so many players at Seaview in Galloway, N.J.
And that’s no surprise. The 6,070-yard Bay Course was gettable compared to the 6,900-yard length of last competition’s Erin Hills. Showers in Rounds 2 and 3 kept the greens soft, maybe even soggy, so players saw opportunities to attack pins. Exhibit A: Kupcho’s final round highlights.
Kupcho absolutely took advantage of the wet course because she was dialed in on every pin en route to her 5-under final round. She kicked off her final round with three birdies in her first five holes. After a bogey on No. 6 and a birdie on No. 9, Kupcho went out with a 34 on the front nine.
Kupcho then overcame an early bogey on the back nine to shoot a 32 coming into the clubhouse. Three birdies in her last five holes, including that walk-off birdie on No. 18, helped her to the top of the leaderboard for good.
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The battle for Kupcho’s win wasn’t easy, considering the young competition at her heels the entire tournament. But the 28-year-old paid no mind to the rest of the field.
“I haven’t been in contention in so long that I was kind of nervous already, so I was just like, I’m not going to look at a leaderboard,” Kupcho said in her post-tournament press conference. “I’m just going to focus on what I need to do. I really didn’t look at a leaderboard pretty much all day.”
Kupcho’s win marks the fourth in her career, which started in 2019 after her win at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Her previous Tour wins were all in 2022: the Dow Great Lake Bay Invitational, the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and The Chevron Championship.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been a long time. I felt like last year — even though the year before I had won three times, I felt like last year was one of my best seasons, maybe my best season with how consistent I played; obviously just didn’t get a win,” Kupcho reflected. “Going into Chevron I didn’t know where the ball was going. So to be able to say I’ve won now, like only really a few weeks later, is kind of insane.”
This week, the LPGA heads to Michigan for the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Kupcho will certainly want to keep this momentum as a prior champion, but defending champion Lilia Vu will be fighting to come back after her drastic missed cut at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open.
See you next week, golf fans.
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Five things to know about the 2025 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give
Jennifer Kupcho wins ShopRite LPGA Classic, ends nearly 3-year drought
Second round of ShopRite LPGA Classic sees hole outs galore
Defending champion Lydia Ko headlines field of 144 competing in Cincinnati
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Five at The IX: Samantha Wagner shoots a final-round 65 (-7) to win the 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at Battle Creek Country Club
Q: We’re here with Sam Wagner, winner of the 2025 Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship. First things first, Sam … How does it feel to be an Epson Tour winner?
SAMANTHA WAGNER: It’s finally sinking in, this is awesome. I tried not to think about it. I mean, honestly, I didn’t know what everyone else was doing till I got on 18 green, but it was such a great day and such a great week here with my dad, and you know, I had a great group, so I just really leaned into that and tried to have some fun.
Q: You’ve been pro since 2018 … That was your first year on the Epson Tour … A lot of top 10 finishes, finally got over the hump. What does that mean to finally get over the hump and prove that you can get in the winner’s circle? What kind of confidence does that give you?
SAMANTHA WAGNER: A ton. You know, I think for me, a lot of it was taking a step back and really trying not to think about winning and just really focusing on my process. I’ve been told by many people that if I keep doing that, eventually it’ll pay off, so I really just had to lean in and trust that, and you know, it’s been a long time, so it’s nice to see that finally come through.
It just feels great moving forward.
Q: And then obviously, when you’re a professional golfer, on the road a lot, miss a lot of things, but your dad was on the bag. What does it mean to get your first win with him right alongside you?
SAMANTHA WAGNER: Yeah, it’s great. He’s been caddying for me for the majority of the eight years.
A couple of times he got fired, but that’s fine, and my mom stepped in, but it’s been a full family system for these eight years, and if someone’s not here, someone else is, and I’m so grateful for that.
And we had a great time. I was a little worried he was going to get a little anxious on the back nine, but he kept me so calm, and we just had a good time. I couldn’t have done it without him.
Q: And then let’s just dig into today a little … Bogeyed the first hole, after that, bogey-free and a ton of birdies. What happened? Was there a moment where you kind of realized, you know, you’re comfortable out there, everything feels good, and then you can start attacking, especially on that back? And I think you had five or six birdies on that.
SAMANTHA WAGNER: Yeah, yeah. To be honest, the bogey on the first hole, I kind of didn’t let it register. I hit a good shot, kind of just got a little too aggressive out of the gates, and I said to my dad, I’m like, ‘Well, whoops. We probably should have hit seven iron there.’ And I left myself in a position where I probably really only could have made bogey.
I didn’t let myself get upset about it, birdied the next hole, and then kind of got into a string of just missing putts. And I did a really good job. I felt like that was the theme for the first two days for me.
I felt like I did a really good job staying patient and not letting that rattle me. And then on the back nine, the 10th hole, I kind of duffed a chip, and I was like, oops, that happened. I could tell I was getting a little nervous, and then I just kind of got into a nice little groove into a Zen state.
I mean, Riley (Rennell) and I were joking around the whole time, which definitely made it easier, and the putts just started falling.
Q: First time this is happening here, we’ve got the Pure Michigan Cup. You’re now the points leader. What does it mean for you, you know, all the support that these Michigan tournaments are giving for you guys going on, not just this week, but for the next two weeks?
SAMANTHA WAGNER: Yeah, it’s so awesome. I kind of forgot that that was a thing until the award ceremony, but it’s great.
I mean, obviously, the people who win that (the Cup), it is just a nice comfort boost. Being out here, it’s expensive, and to have any support we can get, like the sponsors are amazing for doing that, and you know, this stretch in Michigan is so much fun. It’s probably my favorite part of the season. So to be out here and having a little extra to play for is always nice.
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