Rose Zhang Shakes Off Early Errors to Look Right at Home in First Major As a Pro

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Today was a first for Rose Zhang. Round 1 of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at the famed Baltusrol Golf Club was Zhang’s first round in a major championship as a professional. But an opening score of 1-under 70—a number bested by only three other players in the morning wave—made it impossible to tell.

Playing in chilly and misty conditions on the already challenging major championship layout, Zhang made two early bogeys on the 2nd and 4th holes, the second of which included a three-putt from 60 feet. But the Stanford phenom quickly snapped back into form after back-to-back par saves on the 5th and 6th. Despite the shaky start, Zhang went on to play her final 14 holes in 3 under and capped off the round with birdie on the 473-yard par-5 18th.

“Where to start?” Zhang said. “I think I'm very satisfied with how the score turned out. Took a couple bumps in between to get there. I feel like my putting was a little bit off the entire way, but I also put myself in positions where I was giving myself 60-footers probably four or five holes in a row. I feel like this is just a tough golf course, and I really had to grind it out there.”

What a finish from @rosezhang 👏

She finishes her round one stroke off the clubhouse lead at the @KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/ovWKNSpZpN
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 22, 2023

Lately, Zhang’s “firsts” have been going extremely well. The 20-year-old Stanford phenom won in her LPGA Tour debut at the Mizuho Americas Open, just a week after she became the first player to capture back-to-back NCAA women’s individual titles.

Zhang was suddenly one-for-one as a professional, and the feat rightfully made national news. From NBC’s Today Show to ESPN’s SportsCenter, Zhang’s media tour following her stunning playoff win over Jennifer Kupcho was extensive, to say the least.

Zhang says her life hasn’t changed much since she began her venture into the professional game. The added attention, however, has been an adjustment—an adjustment she relishes, of course.

“I'm not sick of you guys, if you guys aren't sick of me at that point,” Zhang said to the media following her first round at Baltusrol. “There's so many obligations as a professional, but I'm really taking it in my stride. I feel very thankful to be in this position. As long as I keep playing and do what I need to do, I definitely know that I have a lot of adjusting and have a lot of things to work on in my game.”

Playing alongside Minjee Lee and Lexi Thompson—ranked No. 6 and No. 9 in the world, respectively—Zhang got a sampling of that spotlight on site at Baltusrol on Thursday. In comparison to the limited groups of spectators sprinkled throughout the A.W. Tillinghast design, the gallery following Zhang’s early all-star group was an army.

Crowds aren’t new to Zhang and neither are major championships. She teed it up in eight majors during her time as an amateur, and at her pre-tournament press conference Zhang referenced those starts as invaluable preparation for this week. But for Zhang, witnessing the ebb-and-flow of two of her childhood idols first hand will serve as a masterclass, no matter how familiar the environment.

“I'm just really trying to learn how it is inside the ropes, how players operate. I was playing with Lexi and Minjee, and these are people that I've watched on TV since I was younger. Just understanding how they do things and how they operate, I'm just learning along as I go,” Zhang said.

Tomorrow, Zhang will again tee it up alongside the major champions, this time in the afternoon wave. The Friday forecast looks to be just as windy and perhaps wetter than Thursday’s, but Zhang is ready for whatever challenges are thrown her way.

“I knew when you're going to be out here, it's going to be very difficult, and you're going to have to try to claw your way back when things aren't going your way,” Zhang said. “These are all things that the game of golf has brought me and taught me in the past couple years.”