Jennifer Kupcho delivered a stellar round at the start of the US Women's Open at the legendary Riviera Country Club. With a five-under-par 66, she secured the sole lead after the first day on Thursday.
After missing the cut at the US Open for the past three years, Kupcho seems determined to reverse her fortunes in 2026. On the Los Angeles course, which not only regularly hosts the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational but will also welcome Olympic golfers in 2028, the American started directly with three consecutive birdies. Ultimately, her scorecard showed seven birdies and two bogeys, giving her a one-stroke lead over South Korea's Kim Sei-young.
“I hit the ball really well today and the putter was also excellent,” said Kupcho after her impressive performance. “Seeing many putts drop, that naturally boosts confidence on the greens.” Kupcho, who is aiming for her second major victory after her 2022 Chevron Championship title, felt 'at home' at Riviera. Her length off the tee is a clear advantage there. “It's essentially a ball-striker's paradise: hit the fairway, hit the green, and sink the putts.” She applied this formula so successfully that, after her recent tournament setbacks, a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She added dryly: “If nothing crazy happens tomorrow, I'll be playing on the weekend.”
Korda in Battle Mode
Things went very differently for world number one Nelly Korda. She is chasing her second consecutive major title after her Chevron Championship win last month, but things were far less smooth on the greens. She really had to grind her way to a two-over-par 73.
Korda started on the 10th hole and, after a promising birdie on the 11th, immediately made back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th – a harbinger of a tough day. “Honestly, I just hit it really badly off the tee,” summarized Korda, who finished tied for second at last year's US Open behind Maja Stark. “I constantly found myself on the wrong side of many pins. I felt like I was scrambling just to save pars. It wasn't a good day... Honestly, I have no idea where that came from,” added the American, who found herself at two-over-par, alongside Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul.
Meanwhile, Kim Sei-young had set the early pace. She also opened her round of 67 on the 10th with back-to-back birdies. After her only bogey of the day on the par-3 4th hole, she sank further birdies on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, propelling her up a crowded leaderboard. Kim expressed delight at her first chance to play the 'truly famous' Riviera layout, even though 'every hole tested me.' She summarized: 'I played quite solidly today.'
