The 24-year-old is the first American to win the event since 2015.
Kupcho’s victory celebrations began when she jumped into Poppie’s Pond, as tradition dictates, accompanied by her husband, her caddy and the cheers of the crowd. The tradition was started by Amy Alcott in 1983 and has been observed by all winners since.
“It’s surreal,” Kupcho said, according to ESPN. “To be a big winner is really special and to be the last person here in Mission Hills to jump into Poppie’s Pond is really special.”
Next year, the tournament will move from Mission Hills Country Club to Houston as part of an agreement with current sponsors, Chevron.
“To be able to simply [win] quickly after my wedding and being able to celebrate with my husband and having him here is really special,” Kupcho continued. “I didn’t see him cross the bridge. He picked me up. I don’t think he ever came looking for me, so that was pretty cool.”
Heading into Sunday, Kupcho’s most notable win came as an amateur, when she won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019.
Despite her relative inexperience, it was a nearly complete performance from the 53rd-ranked player, who shared an early lead with Minjee Lee after the first round.
Kupcho remained atop the standings throughout the weekend and took a six-shot lead in the final round after carding an 8-under 64 in the third round for a tournament-best 16-under 200 in the total.
Initially, Kupcho extended that advantage in the final round, getting birdies on the fourth and fifth holes, before playing the final 13 holes 4-over to card a final round 2-over 74 and end the tournament 14-under.