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Less than a week after her historic back-to-back individual national championship, Stanford’s star golfer, Rose Zhang announced she will turn pro.
Rose Zhang’s collegiate career is over as the back-to-back NCAA individual national title winner announced on Friday she is turning professional. She will make her debut at host Michelle Wie West’s inaugural Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey next week.
Zhang announced on her Instagram, saying, “Wow, it’s finally happening.”
“The endless love, support and inspiration from so many people brought me to this point of my golf career,” Zhang said. “From my teammates to my coaches and trainers, to my friends and my family – you have all been integral in my journey, shaping me as a person and player while making sacrifices for my success. You have made it possible for me to pursue my dreams.”
Zhang also said in the post that she will play in all four major championships on the LPGA this season. She thanked PGA of America, the United States Golf Association and the R&A. Zhang included her schedule in her Instagram post, which consists of a jam-packed summer for the 20-year-old rookie as she earned some sponsor exemptions.
She earned a special exemption to play in the U.S. Women’s Open, per ESPN, later this summer at Pebble Peach Golf Links, July 6-9.
She continued in her Instagram post thanking Stanford and everyone associated with that golf program.
Zhang won 12 times individually in 20 starts during her two seasons at Stanford. Of those 12 wins, eight came in 10 starts this year alone. That beat out Tiger Woods’ Stanford record.
She won back-to-back Annika Awards, given to the top women’s player in college golf. Zhang is a three-time McCormack Medal, given to the top amateur player in the world from the R&A, and she held the No.1 ranking in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking for 141 consecutive weeks, a record-holding feat.
Rose Zhang set the NCAA single-season scoring records twice with a 69.68 average as a freshman and beat that as a sophomore averaging 68.81. She won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and 2021 Girls’ Junior. She also conquered that historic golf course in Augusta, winning the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Zhang did a lot as an amateur, and now she is onto her next chapter into women’s professional golf.
