Jennifer Kupcho seized the first-round lead at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday, firing a five-under 67 at Riviera Country Club and grabbing a one-shot edge over the field. She opened with seven birdies and two bogeys, good enough to start the major in front and give the lpga leaderboard an early shake-up.
The result matters now because the second round begins Friday morning at Riviera in Los Angeles, with the opening 36 holes likely to shape who gets a real weekend run at the championship. Kupcho, the 2022 Chevron Championship winner and a four-time LPGA winner overall, reached five under while Sei Young Kim stood alone in second at four under and Maja Stark sat at even par.
Kupcho’s round was built on movement. Seven birdies kept her scoring pace ahead of the mistakes, and the one-shot cushion left her in position to test whether her early form can hold on a course making its U.S. Women’s Open debut. Riviera has not hosted this championship before, which adds another layer to a leaderboard that is already packed with names the field cannot ignore.
There was also a sharper edge lower down the board. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who began the second round seven shots behind the lead after a 73, entered Friday already needing to climb fast to get back into the picture. That kind of gap after 18 holes at a major does not end a contender’s week, but it does change the margin for error immediately.
Friday’s coverage is set to follow the chase from multiple platforms, with USA scheduled to air the second round from 2-7 p.m. ET and Peacock carrying exclusive night coverage from 7-10 p.m. ET. Featured group coverage is also available on USWomensOpen.com, the USGA App, Peacock, YouTube TV, DirecTV and Xfinity. Kupcho has the lead now; the question is whether she can keep it once the field gets a second look at Riviera.
