Yealimi Noh and Jennifer Kupcho are establishing themselves as two rising stars with talent fit for any course. The two were paired together for the first time on the LPGA Tour during the final round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles.
Noh turned professional in February 2019 and began her LPGA Tour career at the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio. Similarly, Kupcho made her first start as a professional at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open at Country Club of Charleston following a historic college career at Wake Forest University.
Both players walked the fairways and greens at the U.S. Women’s Open with a quiet confidence and ability to stay focused.
Kupcho has the advantage over Noh, having recently won The Chevron Championship. Being a major champion and ranked No. 16 in the Rolex Rankings comes with a level of maturity for the game. She is the fifth highest-ranked American after Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Danielle Kang and Jessica Korda.
| Yealimi Noh vs. Jennifer Kupcho | ||
|---|---|---|
| LPGA Tour Comparison | ||
| Noh | Kupcho | |
| Rookie Year | 2020-21 | 2019 |
| Age | 20 | 25 |
| Events played | 51 | 68 |
| Top-10 finishes | 6 | 12 |
| Wins | 0 | 1 |
Evaluating their first strokes from the tee, both Noh and Kupcho display their power with controlled motion and a nice balance of the club.
Noh’s swing is very impressive and will help her win very soon. She has perfect rhythm back and through with a faster tempo. Kupcho has a slower backswing and then a fantastic acceleration release in her follow through. Both players provided the crowd with a beautiful example of hours of dedication to the game to reach this level of excellence.
Noh has earned the last grouping two times in her career at the 2020 Volunteers of America Classic and 2021 The Amundi Evian Championship. And, she has held the 36- and 54-hole leads at the 2020 Volunteers of America Classic.
| Yealimi Noh Best Finishes LPGA Tour | |
|---|---|
| Tournaments | Finishes |
| 2019 Cambia Portland Classic | 2 < |
| 2020 Volunteers of America Classic | T2 |
| 2020 Cambia Portland Classic | T3 |
| 2021 The Amundi Evian Championship | 3 |
| 2021 Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational | T3 |
| > As a non-member professional | |
When comparing their putting ability, Noh has more to gain on the green versus Kupcho.
According to data compiled in the KPMG Performance Insights, Kupcho is ranked 33rd in Strokes Gained – Putting this season, earning half a stroke on the greens. Noh is losing more than half a stroke (-0.58) and ranked 123rd on tour. When putting from 5-10 feet, Noh coverts 45% in contrast to Kupcho’s 68%.
| Noh vs. Kupcho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| KPMG Performance Insights Statistics | |||
| Noh | Kupcho | Tour Average | |
| Strokes Gained – Putting | -0.58 | 0.56 | -0.04 |
| 5-10 feet putts | 60-of-133 (45%) | 124-of-183 (68%) | 56% |
| 10-15 feet putts | 21-of-91 (23%) | 37-of-118 (31%) | 30% |
“I have been struggling with my putting for a while now, but I just went back to my old putter, the Odyssey White Hot Rossie,” said Noh.
Both of these players are paving the way for American golf. Watching Noh and Kupcho demonstrate their skill, strength and tenacity for improvement was uplifting. As the LPGA Tour is determined to grow their players and bring diversity to golf, I encourage you to watch as the champions of our generation rise and be recognized.
Noh makes her next start at this week’s ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer. Kupcho returns to the tour at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
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