Jennifer Kupcho fired a five-under 66 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on Thursday, claiming the opening-round lead at the US Women's Open and finally breaking through a frustrating three-year stretch at golf's second women's major of the year. The 29-year-old American's scorecard read seven birdies and two bogeys—a clean, confident start that left her one shot ahead of South Korea's Kim Sei-Young and proved something she desperately needed to believe: that she belonged at the top of a major championship leaderboard.
The weight Kupcho spoke of carrying was real. She had missed the cut at this event three years running, a particular sting for a player who has proven herself capable of winning at the sport's highest level. Her only previous major title came at the Chevron Championship in 2022, and on Thursday, under Southern California sun, she showed exactly why she belonged among the elite. Opening with three consecutive birdies set the tone for a day of precise golf and, perhaps more importantly, hot putter work. "It's kind of a ball-striker's paradise," she said afterward, describing the Riviera layout with clear-eyed appreciation. "Just hit it down the fairway, hit it on the green and make the putts."
What stood out in Kupcho's performance was not just the score but the control she demonstrated. In a major championship's opening round—when nerves and stakes converge—she kept the ball in play, found the greens, and converted opportunities. Her putter was especially sharp. "I was hitting the ball well today, also rolling the ball really well with the putter, so that definitely helped with the confidence with my putter," she noted, the kind of simple statement that masks hours of range work and mental preparation.
Behind her, the field remained tightly bunched, as opening rounds at majors often are. Mexico's Gaby Lopez and Hinako Shibuno of Japan anchored a five-way tie for third place, just two shots back. That proximity speaks to the caliber of players competing—and the thinness of margins in professional golf.
World number one Nelly Kord, fresh from winning April's opening major, found herself struggling on Thursday, posting a two-over 73. Her frustration was palpable. "I just felt like I was grinding to make safe pars," she said. "It wasn't a great day. I have honestly no idea where this came from." She shared that score with world number two Atthaya Thitikul and an English contingent including Charley Hull, Mimi Rhodes, Bronte Law, Lottie Woad, and Nellie Ong—a reminder that even the sport's elite experience days when nothing clicks.
The tournament itself carries wider significance. Riviera Country Club, tucked in Los Angeles, hosts the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational and will serve as golf's venue for the 2028 Olympics. For Kupcho, leading at such a storied location, at a major championship, after three years of disappointment, the opportunity in front of her is both immediate and historic. She has 54 holes to protect her one-shot advantage—plenty of time for others to close the gap, but also plenty of time for her to prove that Thursday's round was no fluke, that the weight she carried has finally, meaningfully, lifted.