'US Women’s Open Champ' Koepfer: "My Mother is Korean"

Born in Hawaii, started golf with Filipino father
Michelle Wie, same high school as former President Obama
Role model is Michelle Wie, caddy is Cupcho's husband

It is a ‘nameless whirlwind.’

This is the story of Alison Koepka (USA), the winner of the 78th US Women’s Open, which concluded on the 9th (local time) at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, USA. She had not been very prominent on the LPGA Tour. After debuting on the regular tour last year, her best result was runner-up at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in August, but she secured her first victory at a major tournament. She received a prize money of $2 million and rose to first place in the money rankings with $2,481,309.

Allison Koepka is cheering while holding the trophy right after winning her first career victory at the US Women's Open.
[Photo by USGA]

Koepka is an Asian American. She had participated in the US Women’s Open four times but was cut twice. This year, she qualified by being ranked within the top 75 in the world rankings. It was also revealed for the first time that she has a Korean mother. At the winner’s press conference, when asked about her background, Koepka said, “My mother (May Koepka) is Korean, and my father (Marcos) is Filipino.” On that day, both her mother and father came to the golf course to share the joy of Koepka’s victory.

Koepka was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Influenced by her golf fan father, she naturally picked up clubs from a young age. She gained attention by winning the Hawaii State Open in 2014. She graduated from the University of Southern California. This season, she had been performing moderately, ranking 27th in prize money, before making a big breakthrough at a major tournament. Koepka cheered, “Everything that happened this year seems to have prepared me for this moment,” adding, “It’s even more special to win with both my parents here.”

The golfer who inspired her is Michelle Wie West (USA), a representative star from Hawaii. Wie West, whose parents are both Korean, has won five times on the LPGA Tour, including the 2014 US Women’s Open. Koepka and Michelle Wie share the commonalities of having Korean parents and growing up in Hawaii. They also both graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu. Koepka said, “When Michelle Wie won at Pinehurst in 2014, I was just amazed watching at home. She was a huge inspiration to me,” adding, “She was a great role model just by watching her.”

Punahou School, from which both Koepka and Michelle Wie West graduated, is also the alma mater of former US President Barack Obama. After Koepka’s victory, former President Obama posted on social media, “Congratulations to Koepka, who is also from Hawaii. You make us all proud.” The caddie who collaborated with Koepka for this win, Jay Monahan, is a former professional and the husband of Jennifer Kupcho (USA), who plays on the LPGA Tour.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.