Jennifer Kupcho has made a big impact in her professional career so far. She was named 2019 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year and three years later, she claimed her maiden Major title at the 2022 Chevron Championship.
That was a particularly good year for the American, as she also picked up victories at the Meijer LPGA Classic and the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, with her caddie that remarkable season being David Eller. He even received an award of his own for the part he played in Kupcho’s success, picking up the prestigious Caddie of the Year award.
However, Eller started the 2023 season alongside Ryann O’Toole, and Kupcho turned to Patrick Smith.
The pair were still working together as the 2024 season started, but by the time the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship came around in March, Kupcho had begun working with Matt Pitts.
It appears that was no more than a temporary plan as she had brother Steven caddying for her the week after at the Ford Championship. However, by the first Major of the year, the Chevron Championship, she was working with Josh Udelhofen, and he's been her caddie since.
Udelhofen was born in Platteville, Wisconsin, and played college golf at Clarke University between 2010 and 2014. He enjoyed plenty of success, too, and was a four-time team MVP for the men’s golf team during his time there.
He continued playing in the years immediately after he graduated in the hope of earning a PGA Tour card, before taking up caddying on the LPGA Tour in 2021, initially alongside Gerina Piller. A year later, he was Caroline Inglis's caddie, before teaming up with Kupcho.
Top-10 finishes had all but dried up for Kupcho in the period leading to Udelhofen's arrival, but there have certainly been signs of progress since. After finishing T23 at the Chevron Championship, Kupcho has recorded top-10 finishes at the Mizuho Americas Open, the CPKC Women's Open and the FM Championship.
That uptick in form was enough to earn Kupcho one of three US wildcards for the 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf club, where she will hope Udelhofen can help inspire her - and the US team - to success as it looks to wrestle the trophy off the Europeans for the first time since 2017.
