BELMONT, Mich. — Defending champion Jennifer Copshaw-Bird broke her 18th-place finish for a 6-under 66 and a share of a first-round lead Thursday at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Kupcho holed four of the five Par-5 holes on a bogey-free round at Blythefield Country Club. She was linked to Ayaka Furio, Frida Kinholt, Lindsey Weaver Wright, and Cheyenne Knight.
“I think it’s kind of a really good prep for my game,” Copshaw said. “Five par 5, I like par 5 pars on all golf courses so it definitely helps. I think I feel really comfortable in general. I played well here even out into the wind.”
Kupcho makes her second title defense of the year, but the first came in the relocated Chevron Master Championship at a new track in Texas.
“Certainly, defending this is a lot different than defending Chevron,” Copshaw said. “Just knowing the golf course, knowing where most of the pin positions are, it’s just a whole level of comfort.”
Knight also had a stealth-free run.
“On this course, you can do a lot of birdie if you’re in a good position off the tee, especially.” Knight said. “So, I played really hard today. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and when I did, I was able to recover.”
Ally Ewing had a stroke at 67 along with Amy Yang, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Alison Lee, and Eun-Hee Ji.
“If you hit a good golf swing here, you can make some birdies,” Ewing said. “So, I stuck to a good game plan and tried to give myself a lot of looks and managed to convert some long shots early on.”
Ashleigh Bohai, winner of last week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey, and Minjee Lee topped the pack at 68.
Brooke Henderson, the Canadian who won the event in 2017 and 2019, has opened 69 times.
The KPMG Women’s Grand Championship takes place next week in Baltusrol, New Jersey.