CASERAS, Spain — At just 20 years old, Rose Zhang has accomplished more in her golf career than most players could ever dream of, let alone achieve.
At 16 she made the cut at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. The next year she beat defending champion Gabi Ruffels to win the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, and then claimed the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior the following year. She won the Mark H. McCormack Medal after spending three consecutive years atop the world amateur golf ranking (2020, 2021, 2022) and then became the first player to ever win the NCAA individual title twice, doing so in consecutive seasons in 2021 and 2022. And don’t forget the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Just weeks after claiming the NCAA title she became the first player to win her LPGA debut since 1951, earning her LPGA card in one start. For Zhang, making history is like making par.
MORE: Zhang just getting started | Enters mixed event with Theegala
Zhang continues to set the bar even higher for herself each step she takes in her career, and this week is yet another opportunity for her to make the challenging look effortless. The 20-year-old will be one of five American rookies to tee it up at the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast after she automatically qualified due to her world ranking, and it’s an opportunity she isn’t taking lightly.
“It’s so hard to rank every single one of the accomplishments. I feel like every experience that I’ve gained has been so unique in its own right. This is definitely up there,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday. “Being able to play the Solheim Cup is truly a dream come true. I’ve played two Junior Solheim Cups before, one in Des Moines and one in Gleneagles. But I watched and witnessed all these professional players represent Europe and the U.S. on that first tee, but that was the experience and adrenaline that I’ve seen before and to be a part of it now is really cool.”
SOLHEIM CUP: Photos
“Honestly (Rose) was on my radar for 2024, not for this one,” admitted U.S. captain Stacy Lewis, “but she took care of winning this year, so she was able to qualify. Rose was really a great, great addition for us.”
Rose Zhang of Team USA plays a shot during practice prior to the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 20, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Zhang left Stanford after a stellar two years in college golf and was still taking…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…