quick coaching

Practice Like The Pros: How Jennifer Kupcho Sealed the Deal

By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on

Jennifer Kupcho of the United States celebrates after winning The Chevron Championship at The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa on April 03, 2022 in Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaGetty Images

Jennifer Kupcho not only notched her first win on the LPGA Tour this past weekend, but also her first major at the Chevron Championship. Jennifer first came to be known by many golf fans by way of her win at the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur in 2019. So, it's fitting that her first LPGA Tour win came on the weekend of this year’s rendition of the ANWA.
Kupcho built up a 6-shot lead going into the final round which left her plenty of room to cruise to what ended up being a two-shot victory.
In what always seems to be the case, week in and week out, putting is what seals the deal for the professionals of the game. That was definitely the case for Kupcho.
It is estimated that 40% of all the shots taken during the course of a round is with the flat stick. The putter is by far the one, single club in your bag that gets the most use.
What do the Professionals Practice on the Green?
Line
Working on getting your Line correct and focusing your attention to the apex point of your line is key. Getting the ball started on your intended line is critical. Mark your golf ball with a line on it so you can set it to your intended line of the putt.
Path
Path is another key factor to becoming a better putter. Making sure you are swinging the putter head back and through down your intended line is a must. Many golfers struggle with an out to in or in to out path with the putter much like they do with their full swing. By simply using alignment sticks as a guide, you can train your path back into health.
Trust
When you practice your putting…working on Set Up, Line, Path, Tempo, Green Reading and any other of the little nuances that make up this specific part of the game overall, what you are truly doing (or should be) is building up trust.
Once you are on the course, playing for a score, you should not be searching for anything with your putting…from the standpoint of mechanics. That is where practice comes in…the best players in the world rely on the work they put in during practice in order to trust on the course, and in the end, on their best weeks, win, like Jennifer Kupcho