PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The 2022 Meijer LPGA Classic was perhaps the most thrilling of the eight previous LPGA tournaments held in Belmont. It came down to the wire in a three-way playoff between Nelly Korda, Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire, who all finished the 72 holes -18 under.
The defending Meijer LPGA Classic champion Korda would three putt the first playoff hole on 18 eliminating her from contention, making it all come down to Kupcho and Maguire. Kupcho birdied the second playoff putt on 18. But Maguire missed her birdie putt from about a foot out to give Kupcho the tournament victory.
“I was already looking at the rules official to go to the next hole so I thought she was in,” Kupcho said.
It was a dramatic finish, and the Wake Forest grad liked that it ended that way.
“I felt like I was made to be there,” Kupcho said.
Kupcho’s day did not start off strong. On the Par 4 Hole 3, she recorded a double bogey but did not flinch.
“The turning point was being able to tell myself you are not out of this,” Kupcho said. “You are at -15 under. It's only five shots away. Let's go.”
Kupcho stayed cool, calm and collected as she earned the second victory of her LPGA career shooting 71 on Sunday.
“To come out of this one with top ranked players all over the place, it really was very close and I feel very proud of myself for coming out of it,” Kupcho said.
Following the two-hole play-off victory, Kupcho just wanted to call her dad to celebrate the victory on Father's Day.
“I am definitely excited to call him and talk to him after the round,” Kupcho said. “I thought to myself this morning that I should call him but I kept telling myself, 'No we'll call him after with the trophy in hand,' and I am excited I can do that now.”
The Meijer LPGA Classic also raised $1.25 million for food pantries across the Midwest. Meijer will also donate $25,000 to a hunger relief organization of Kupcho’s choice.
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