Kupcho takes lead into final round of Augusta National Women's Amateur
Kupcho will take one-shot lead into Saturday's final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Top-ranked Jennifer Kupcho will take a one-shot lead into Saturday s final round of the inaugural Augusta National Women s Amateur.
Kupcho, the reigning US collegiate champion, fired a second-round 71 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans, Georgia, for a five-under-par total going into the final round -- which will see women competing for a trophy for the first time at Augusta National -- long the home of the Masters men s major.
Kupcho, 21, was coming off a "perfect" first round of 68 that had left her tied overnight with 16-year-old Zoe Campos.
She was three-under for the day before her first bogey of the week at her 14th hole of the day, the par-four fifth.
She dropped another shot at the eighth to finish the day one stroke in front of Mexico s Maria Fassi, who had an eagle, five birdies and five bogeys in a 70.
"I started out strong and was hitting the ball really well," Kupcho said. "After the bogey on the fifth, I was just trying to get through six, honestly - and then the seventh, eighth and ninth were all birdie holes.
"Obviously, I didn t make any, and I didn t really give myself an opportunity.
"Hopefully, I can go out and figure out what was going on with my swing."
It was a further stroke back to Thailand s Pimnipa Panthong and American s Sierra Brooks and Kaitlyn Pap.
Campos was four shots adrift after a three-over 75.
Only the top 30 players in the field of 72 will compete on Saturday at Augusta National, the fabled club that didn t even admit its first women members until 2012.
Reducing the field to 30 required a sudden-death playoff among 11 players for the last 10 spots.
Italy s Alessia Nobilo ended up as the odd woman out, her hopes extinguished when Spain s Ainhoa Olarra drained a 30-foot birdie putt at the second playoff hole to claim the final spot, after nine other players advanced with pars at the first playoff hole.
All 72 players will participate in a practice round on Friday at Augusta National.
