Jennifer Kupcho Wins Augusta National Women's Amateur

She played her final six holes in five under par to win the inaugural title

Jennifer Kupcho Wins Augusta National Women's Amateur

USA's Jennifer Kupcho held off Mexico's Maria Fassi at Augusta to win the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

She played her last six holes in five under par to take the inaugural title.

The Coloradoan held the lead with 18 holes to play and finished at 10 under after a closing 67 (-5), four ahead of Fassi.

Kupcho and Fassi were well ahead of third place, making it a match play-style back nine in what was a thoroughly entertaining spectacle.

The pair are good friends and showed great class with their shots and behaviour around the famed Augusta National, with regular fist-bumps after birdies and even eagles.

Kupcho is the World's Number One amateur and showed her class on the back nine after being two back with six to play.

She responded to being behind with an eagle on 13, the only eagle of the day, before birdies on 15 and 16.

Watch: Kupcho's eagle on 13

Her eagle, seen above, was sensational, as was her birdie on 15 which featured a drawn fairway wood around trees and over water. She just about managed to stop it on the back edge and two-putted for birdie.

She then stuck it close on 16 and holed from around 6ft for a two.

Watch: Kupcho's birdie putt on 18

Fassi was fighting herself early on the back nine and made a birdie on 14 to go one ahead but a par on 15 and then a bogey on 16 were ultimately costly.

She was two back with just the last to play and made a bogey to sign for a 70 (-2).

Kupcho's birdie on the last cemented a four stroke victory, hardly telling to the tale of what was a closely-fought contest.

Fassi is currently the 9th-best female amateur in the world and is the first Mexican to play a competitive round at Augusta National in 40 years.

Next week her countryman Alvaro Ortiz becomes the first Mexican to appear in the Masters after he won the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship.

Fassi won the Mexican Amateur Championship in 2015 and 2016 and competed at the US Women's Open in 2015.

Kupcho took a one-stroke lead into Saturday and managed to finish it off with her excellent 67.

She was a member of the 2018 Curtis Cup team, won the 2017 Canadian Women's Amateur and finished an impressive 21st in the 2017 US Women's Open.

With her victory she earns a spot in the tournament for the next five years, although she may well be turning professional fairly soon.

The first two days play at the Augusta National Women's Amateur took place at Champions Retreat on Wednesday and Thursday, with the entire field playing a practice round at Augusta on Friday.

The top 30 to make the cut then competed at Augusta in Saturday's final round.

The ceremonial tee shots:

Berkhamsted's Alice Hewson was the top Brit, finishing T10th at +1 after a level par 72 on Saturday.

Related: 3 ways to improve The Masters

In what is a huge week for women's golf, Meg MacLaren finished 2nd at the Jordan Mixed Open and the season's first Major, the ANA Inspiration, concludes on Sunday.

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