Rose Zhang’s white hot finish has her in contention at LPGA major, Evian Championship

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Another LPGA major is here and Rose Zhang is staying hot on the course as the rookie eyes another win.

Rose Zhang had to fight hard in her first round at the Amundi Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France. It is the fourth of five majors during the 2023 season.

Heading into the tournament, her group was the one to watch. She is playing alongside world class players Minjee Lee and Nelly Korda.

Despite some issues, she closed out her round strong, carding a 2-under 69. Zhang sits T19 after day one. Paula Reto of South Africa leads after posting a 7-under 64.

Zhang birdied four of her last five holes to give herself some confidence moving into the second round.

She started her day on the par-3 10th and made birdie. Zhang made another birdie on the par-4 12th but then made back-to-back bogeys on the par-4 13th and par-3 14th.

Those two bogeys put the former Stanford golfer back at even par. The 20-year-old stayed at even par until she made the turn.

She coughed up two more shots before getting back on track. Zhang made a bogey on the par-3 2nd and par-4 4th. Before she knew it, the back-to-back NCAA champion was +2 and nine shots back with five holes left.

Zhang showed her metal though. She made three straight birdies to close out her day, putting herself firmly in contention.

This season has been a good one for Zhang.

She won her LPGA debut and followed that up with a strong performance at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a T8. At the U.S. Women’s Open, she finished T9. She had to fight through some growing pains at the Dana Open, where she missed her first cut.

This is the 20-year-old’s third major of the year. She is already going for another top-10 finish in a major or maybe better.