Freak Accident Forces Kupcho to Withdraw from California Event

Jennifer Kupcho in action
Westminster’s Jennifer Kupcho, currently a Wake Forest University sophomore, ranks among the nation’s top three college players.

 

Wake Forest University sophomore Jennifer Kupcho’s stellar season hit a nasty bump in the road during the Northrop-Grumman Regional Challenge at California’s Palos Verdes Golf Club on February 12.

Ranked among the top three collegiate players in the country on the strength of her two victories last fall, the Westminster native withdrew from the tournament after finishing the first round tied for 43rd with a four-over-par 75.

Her score, however, had nothing to do with her withdrawal.

As her father, Mike Kupcho, explained in an email, his daughter was two-under par through 10 holes. On the 355-yard 11th hole, a motorized cart shuttled players from tee to green, with Jennifer sitting in the back seat facing backwards and dragging her pull cart.

Spectators stepped aside, but as the shuttle passed, a member of the gallery stepped too quickly back to the cart path and became entangled in Kupcho’s pullcart, yanking her from the shuttle and causing her to fall directly on her back and hit her head on the concrete.

She attempted to continue. She four-putted two greens and shot six-over over the next five holes before the medical staff finally evaluated her for a concussion and concluded she was ok to play. She finished with a four-over-par 75.

Jennifer Kupcho winning Ruth's Chris event
Jennifer Kupcho follows through on a tee shot during the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational on October 14, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Brian Westerholt/Sports On Film)

The following morning the medical staff evaluated her again for a concussion and this time she failed the test in several areas. Under NCAA concussion protocol she was not allowed to finish the tournament, practice, study, or attend classes until cleared. After required medical evaluations on February 17, she was finally cleared to play.

According to NCAA rules, once a player withdraws after completing a round, she is given a loss to every player in the field. This means Kupcho, the number-one-ranked player in the tournament, finished 88th out of 88 players, with potentially devastating repercussions on her national ranking. As of February 18, Golfstat still ranked Kupcho third in the country among Division I players, with a 69.69 scoring average through 13 rounds this spring.

More critical, of course, is the medical prognosis for the three-time Colorado Women’s Golf Association Player of the Year. “Hopefully, she won’t have any lasting medical issues in the future and can put this freaky accident in the rear-view mirror!” Mike Kupcho said in an email. “Who said golf isn’t a contact sport?”

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You Go, Girls!

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