It wasn’t easy.
Rose Chang hopped on a golf cart and returned to the tee at Par 4 18there In her second elimination match against Jennifer Koepcho at the US Open in Mizuho.
18there He wasn’t kind to the budding star on Sunday; I set wrong and had to put the clutch on the first extra hole to stay put.
For the first time in three attempts, she found the pass, but stayed 180 yards for her approach. Copshaw was only 146 years old and seemed to be in the driver’s seat.
suddenly changed.
Full results of the US Mizuho Championship
Zhang took off the hood of a hybrid and did a deadlift, standing within 10 feet of the 20-year-old.there hole today. She called it one of the best shots she had ever had.
Kupcho, with an 8-iron in hand, rolled off the pin and then took it off the green.
When Kupcho fell short, Zhang only needed to win twice, and she did just that. It was an appropriate result. Zhang, who started the round with two shots, was no birdie on Sunday. not one; 16 pars and two bogeys for 74, then two more in penalties.
However, since it’s been over a year, the last minute is up to him.
The 20-year-old soon found herself carrying a bouquet of roses as she was overshadowed by close friends watching from behind the green. In her professional debut, Chang was the winner, becoming the first woman to achieve the feat since Beverly Hanson in 1951.
Just 13 days after winning her second consecutive individual national championship at Stanford, Zhang was overwhelmed after the win, and fought back tears as she smiled from ear to ear during her post-match interview.
“Honestly, I didn’t even expect to make the cut, and the reason I said this is because I don’t think too much about my expectations,” Zhang said on Sunday. “I’m thinking about playing golf. I’m thinking about trying to score the highest score possible.
“I was obviously frustrated and disappointed with my game, but I never thought about where I was going to end up, where I was going to end up, etc. With that in mind, my hope of winning didn’t even cross my mind. Only Playing my game. I was enjoying my time there. It’s the game I love, and I’m so grateful to be a professional doing it now.
It’s been a whirlwind week for Zhang, who is in the spotlight after an amateur career in which she’s been ranked No. 1 for 141 weeks, more than ever.
After opening at 2-U-70, Zhang said she was trying to keep things straight and matter-of-fact.
fair enough.
After topping the leaderboard with a 69 in heat two, she said there was no anticipation for the weekend and she just wanted to know what it would be like to be in one of the leading groups as a pro.
delicious. Lots of golf will be played.
6-U-66’s Ghostless Saturday changed everything. She sent her to bed with two shots at the Liberty National less than two weeks after her Cardinals teammates dumped her at Grayhawk to celebrate another title.
Still, she did talk about learning when she brought up the idea of ​​playing in the final group on Sunday, but admitted she’s proud of how she handled so much golf to complete her college career and all the media responsibilities that come with being a Rose. chang.
Then Sunday came.
With temperatures in the 60’s and a northern breeze blowing across Jersey City, Chang’s made history, as she has done so many times as an abyss.
All day long, it felt like it was stuck in neutral. She failed to birdie in the final round, but only Copshaw – who shot a 3-under 69 – put any real pressure on Zhang late in the round.
The end result was another prize for Zhang, but it was more than just a win.
It’s a statement to the world that the talent you demonstrated in college will carry over into the professional ranks.
It is her ability to be accepted into full LPGA membership that qualifies her for this year’s Solheim Cup in Spain.
It is also the arrival of a new star in women’s professional golf. The star — if social media is any indication — has quite a fan following behind her.
Zhang’s early career is somewhat unique to women’s golf.
When it comes to the elite class, many players skip college and head straight into the pro ranks.
Zhang’s rival, Atthaya Thitikul, is only two months older than Zhang and has already climbed to the world’s No. 1 ranking after a strong rookie season in the LPGA.
Seven players have won major tournaments on the women’s side before they turned 20. Zhang was twenty years oldthere His birthday is May 24th.
This in no way diminished Zhang’s achievements.
In fact, you could say that makes it even more special.
Dominating college, she made a household name for herself before turning pro.
Golf fans watched her lift the trophy at Grayhawk two years in a row, becoming the first woman to win the individual national championship twice.
Watch her stumble upon the Augusta National before settling for a playoff win, as she did on Sunday with views of the New York skyline.
The final chapter of Zhang’s career would not be written for a long time, but the book contains an introduction.
