Playing for her country means taking a break from the usual weekly individual competition, and Jennifer Kupcho said that alone makes the Solheim Cup special for her. With the tournament inching closer, the defending ShopRite champion made it clear on Wednesday that she wants to be part of the team again.

Kupcho spoke at a press conference before the 2026 ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club’s Bay Course, where she expressed her eagerness to represent Team USA.

"Any time you get to represent your country, it's obviously a great honor and always super fun to be alongside teammates that you're normally competing head-to-head against," Kupcho said. "Hopefully, I can make the team. I'm excited to go back over to Europe."

Kupcho has Solheim Cup experience and played in Spain, said the European atmosphere is a different animal from competing on home soil. That shapes how she's thinking about this week.

Her approach to staying in contention for a spot is actually to keep it simple. "I think one big thing I've worked on this year is going out and having fun, not necessarily worrying about the outcome," she said.

"If you get too far ahead of yourself, you kind of start to put way too much pressure."

That mindset carried her to the title here last year, her first win at a venue that also happened to be her first-ever LPGA Tour event as a rookie. She arrived in 2026 as the defending champion.

Kupcho also flagged a pattern in her own game. She puts her clubs down for an entire month during December and January, starts slowly, and finds form around April and May. Last year's ShopRite win fit that arc exactly.

Jennifer Kupcho Has A Title to Defend And A Spot to Earn

Kupcho said she has been hitting the ball well coming into this week. The Bay Course is shorter than many recent LPGA Tour courses. It has small greens, straight holes, and a par-5 hole that players can score on more easily.

"If your wedges are going in, your putter is falling, you can definitely go low," she said.

The ShopRite is a 54-hole tournament and is being played for the 38th year. It also has the longest title sponsorship on the LPGA Tour. Kupcho is now one of the tournament’s past winners, alongside players like Annika Sorenstam, Nancy Lopez, and Betsy King.

The U.S. Open is next week. These two tournaments give her two chances to prove she deserves a spot on the Solheim Cup team.

Do you think Kupcho makes the Solheim Cup team this year? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy