Rose Zhang makes her first major start as a professional at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Given how things turned out in her professional debut two weeks ago, she’s as much of a headliner at Baltusrol as World No. 1 Jin Young Ko.
Zhang, of course, won the LPGA’s Mizuho Americas Open in her first professional start, becoming the first player to accomplish such a feat since Beverly Hanson in 1951. Expectations are sky-high for the 20-year-old American.
With three majors left on the schedule and full LPGA status, it’s natural to think big for Zhang, the most decorated amateur in the modern game.
She jumped to No. 61 in the world after her win at Liberty National, but is nowhere to be found on the LPGA points lists for the U.S. Solheim Cup team, Player of the Year or Rookie of the Year.
There are other ways to make the Solheim Cup beyond the points list, of course, but not receiving the 150 points toward the Rookie race or the 30 for the POY race puts Zhang at a massive disadvantage when it comes to year-end accolades.
If given the points, she’d currently be fourth in the rookie race and tied for 14th in the POY. South Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu leads the rookie standings with 381 points in 10 starts. Ryu has four top-10 finishes this season but has yet to win.
Two years ago, the LPGA changed its regulations so that non-members who win on tour receive official points and money for any win after accepting tour membership. After Sophia Popov won the 2020 AIG Women’s British Open, she accepted tour membership and started at zero. Her money from Royal Troon was unofficial, and she didn’t earn any points toward the CME Race to the Globe, which kept her out of the ANA Inspiration and the CME Group Tour Championship.
The LPGA waited until the next season to make that change.
Rose Zhang of the United States acknowledges the crowd after her putt on the second green during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club on June 4, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Zhang’s Mizuho victory did earn her 500 CME points, thanks to the Popov rule. She’s currently 27th in that race. But she didn’t receive points for anything else.
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