By: Max Bechtoldt
It has been almost exactly a year since Rose Zhang, the greatest women’s amateur golfer of all time, turned professional fresh off her second consecutive NCAA Division I individual golf title. A week later, she sent a shockwave through the sport, becoming the first modern golfer to win their pro debut. Since then her star has only continued to rise.
Some of the perceived disappointment of Zhang’s career has come from a lack of perspective and the impossible to reach expectations set on her. Zhang was a household name to golf fans before her debut at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open. You could debate she was the face of the sport as a dominant college player in a way mirrored by Caitlin Clark just on a smaller scale.
Her first 11 months of professional golf have been crazily successful considering the circumstances. She earned her way on tour, skipping the Epson Tour (women’s golf’s equivalent to the Korn Ferry Tour), after only two years of college golf.
With that perspective, her eight top 10s, two wins, three top-10s in majors, Solheim Cup appearance and reaching No. 6 in the world rankings is nothing short of remarkable. She doesn’t exactly get the typical Champaign showers either, probably because she’s not even 21-years-old yet.
This year, she took much of the early season off to complete her semester at Stanford, and has still somehow climbed to No. 7 in the CME Standings this season.
While Nelly Korda, through sheer dominance on the course, has become the face of women’s golf, Zhang’s off the course pursuits put her in the conversation. She is a mainstay on commercials for Callaway and was one of the most prominent faces for AT&T during its Masters week advertisements. She also joined Lexi Thompson as the first LPGA Tour players to appear on the Match, alongside Rory McIlroy and Max Homa.
This week, coming off her second-career win, she returns to the home of her breakout professional win. A fitting full-circle moment to wrap up whirlwind first year of her career.
While there have been some quiet stretches for Zhang, what she has accomplished in her first season on the LPGA Tour is nothing short of remarkable. It is clear she is here to stay, as a superstar of the game.
