Former Champions Kupcho and Henderson Reflect on Getting Their Starts at ShopRite

By Elle Chavis 

 

For defending ShopRite LPGA Powered by Wakefern champion, Jennifer Kupcho, it doesn’t feel like nearly seven years have passed since the first time she played in the tournament.  

 

“It's interesting because like I don't feel like I'm that old, but then I look around and I'm like, okay, I've actually been out here for a few years,” Kupcho said.  

 

Back in 2019, fresh off of a win at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur as a senior at Wake Forest and an appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open, Kupcho took part in ShopRite, her first LPGA event as a professional. 

 

“Coming to an LPGA event is completely different,” the Colorado native said. “Kind of seeing what everybody does week in and week out was a little bit of an adjustment.”   

 

But continuing to make that adjustment eventually paid off. Six years after first stepping foot onto the greens at Seaview, Kupcho won the event that first gave her her start. The victory marked a turning point for Kupcho from a slow start after the offseason, boosting her confidence in herself and her stroke.  

 

“It meant a lot to me last year,” Kupcho said. “Kind of reminded myself I could do it again.” 

 

Kupcho is not the only former champion who will make a reappearance at Seaview. A few years prior to Kupcho, 2022 champion Brooke Henderson also got her first start in Galloway, N.J. as a sponsor invite in 2015.  

 

“They kind of boosted my career in the right direction, giving me a start on the LPGA Tour and just a lot of confidence moving forward,” Henderson said. “This event has always meant a lot to me.”  

 

For both women, continuing to play and eventually win at the tournament where they started as rookies represents a full-circle moment, especially as they watch rookies join the field.  

 

“It’s awesome they have the opportunity to compete here this week in a Tour event,” Henderson aid. “It's always really special those first few events you can get under your belt on Tour.” 

 

As veterans on the tour and especially at ShopRite, Kupcho and Henderson have both taken on different roles, offering advice to those rookies instead of asking for it themselves as they did in their earlier years. 

 

“To be able to talk to them and give them mentorship and have them ask questions it's pretty cool to be in that spotlight instead of where I was as a rookie doing the same thing to girls like Ally Ewing, Emma Talley, girls that aren't out here anymore,” Kupcho said.  

 

While Henderson and Kupcho reflect on how far they’ve come since their ShopRite starts, rookie Brooke Biermann stands exactly where they once stood, ready to make her LPGA Tour at one of the oldest events on the Tour. When asked what advice she would give her name twin, Henderson said this: 

 

“Just soak it all in…To play in your first LPGA Tour event as a pro, it’s a very special feeling.”  

 

Whether playing in their first ShopRite or their fifth, the greens at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club promise to be something special.