The Best Amateur in Women’s Golf Is Now 1-for-1 as a Pro, and the Sky Appears the Limit
Unlike another Stanford golf product of some renown, Rose Zhang didn’s say “hello, world” at her first press conference as a professional this week.
She didn’t have to, having arrived fresh off a second NCAA title, the final chapter of arguably the best amateur career in women’s golf history.
And unlike Tiger Woods, Zhang didn’t finish in a tie for 60th in her pro debut.
On Sunday, June 4, 2023, Zhang won the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Course in the shadow of New York City. It felt like a timestamp moment, when Zhang parred a second playoff hole to defeat Jennifer Kupcho.
The last LPGA player who began her career 1-for-1 was Beverly Hanson, winner of the 1951 Eastern Open. Fifty-two years before Zhang was born.
Nancy Lopez didn’t win her first LPGA start. Nor did Annika Sorenstam. Or Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie or Nelly Korda.
“What is happening? I just can’t believe it,” Zhang said to the Golf Channel immediately after winning. “It was just last week I won the NCAAs with my teammates.”
No, really, it was just last week. Zhang won her second individual NCAA title in Scottsdale, Ariz., for Stanford—no woman had won two titles before, and she did it back to back—then turned pro, traveled across the country and shot 70 in her first round.
That was a nice story. Except Zhang followed that with 69 and 66, and took the solo lead into Sunday’s final round.
Zhang was human on Sunday, failing to make a birdie and shooting 2-over 74 with a final-hole bogey that set up a playoff.
Maybe that was destined to be the end of the story, with Kupcho warming on the range. Kupcho was a decorated amateur herself, like Zhang a champion at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (Kupcho was the first, in fact) but more importantly in this situation a three-time LPGA champion with a major to her credit.
But on the second playoff hole, Zhang played first from the fairway and stuck a fairway metal to eight feet. Kupcho came up well short of the flag with an 8-iron, ran a long birdie try past the hole into the back fringe, then failed to hole out from there.
Zhang had two putts for the win, and that was that.
“I really got a bit of everything. Got a taste of the pressure, a taste of the wind,” Zhang said. “I tried to stay composed, as always. You had to dig deep. That’s what I did.”
Will the rest of the LPGA have to dig deep to keep up? A little hyperbole can be accepted. Even the LPGA itself couldn’t resist: In post-tournament notes it was recorded that Zhang (who was in the event on a sponsor exemption) “officially accepted membership at 9:14 p.m. on June 4, 2023.” Another timestamp.
The sky appears the limit for Zhang and maybe even the LPGA if it continues to rise along with its new face.
“Hello, world” wasn’t necessary this week. Rose Zhang humbly just showed up for her pro debut and proceeded to win.
A better phrase now is: “What’s next?”