A crowded office wall in Irvine, California tells the story of why Rose Zhang is golf’s most hyped talent.
It is in her parents’ home and the trophies, medals and plaques are a shrine to her various records, some of which belonged to Tiger Woods until this whirlwind 20-year-old embarked on a journey that will take her to the British Open this week.
Ahead of that meet in Walton Heath, her fourth major as a pro, Zhang takes Mail Sport on a virtual tour of the stages of a pretty amazing amateur and junior career, and they’re almost all there — her 12 wins in 20 starts for Stanford University , which Woods managed by 11 of 26 games, and then there’s the two NCAA titles, another record.
And then there is the USA. Women’s amateur titles and those for the rest of the greats, from the US girls juniors, the World Amateur Team Championship and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur title. They are testaments to a time in the unpaid ranks when she was world No. 1 for an unprecedented 141 weeks and together they paint a cluttered and glorious picture of the most decorated amateur in the history of women’s golf.
But what you won’t find under the ribbons and bows and pots and pans is everything for second place. Zhang smiles at that.
Rose Zhang (above) will be among the favorites for this week’s Women’s Open
“I started throwing them away when I was ten,” she says. “I think I threw away at least 10 or 15 of them.” I had more gold medals than silver medals and I was like, ‘Silver isn’t necessary.’ So I just had to throw them away.
“What I have to say is that I was very competitive as a kid. I was like, “Fuck second place.” I was definitely pretty strict with myself about coming first.”
Zhang is a phenomenon. The kind of talent that needs to be seen at such a young age to be appreciated. The strain signed by Rolex, Beats and Adidas, and the strain that faced crushing pressure turning pro at the Mizuho Americas Open in June.
She competed against seven of the top ten women in the world. She won, becoming the first since 1951 to do so on her debut.
“It was a little crazy,” she says. “I certainly didn’t expect that. But I’m just very happy that everything is going the way it is, and I’m kind of going along with it.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting everything. When a tournament reaches its peak, it’s about more than skill, because anything can happen – you’re playing against the best players in the world. I’ve played against the best collegiate players and amateurs in the world, but when you make that leap, it’s hard to say, ‘Oh, I’m going to come out of here and win.’ It’s just not going to happen like that. So yeah, everything that went like that, I just don’t think it was something that was in my vision or in my head.’
What followed that win demonstrates the attention Zhang has garnered through her rise, but also her potential to become a crossover star of her sport.
“Tiger approached me — it was kind of crazy,” says Zhang. “Also, I look up to Steph Curry a lot and he was yelling at me, which I could never have imagined.” But there were also a lot of random people who recognized me, which I really wasn’t expecting.
“I don’t think it’s an element of me being scared or intimidated, but it’s definitely an eye opener that I now have a huge presence in everything I do.” It was quite surreal .’
Her transition into the paid ranks was amazing, even after her first win. Having never finished ninth in the three majors she has competed in as a pro, Zhang will be one of the favorites at Walton Heath at a time when there is already plenty of talent in women’s golf .
“Everyone wants to win — who doesn’t?” she says. “For me, The Open is an incredible event. I was at the British Junior Open in 2018 when I was a little junior and now I’m fast into it. I feel like the sky is the limit.’
The 20-year-old won the Mizuho Americas Open just nine days after turning professional
Zhang won 12 of 20 starts for Stanford University, overtaking Tiger Woods’ 11 of 26
Comparisons to Woods risk becoming unhealthy, both for their early successes and the commercial benefits they’ve already brought. A burden for a young woman who remains a student in the middle of her Stanford studies.
“I don’t think about it much,” says Zhang. “If I win and break one of Tiger’s records, it’s definitely super cool.” And I’m honored to be able to do all of that. But I don’t think I need to keep following in his footsteps, even if people ask, “Is she the next tiger?”
“I believe that everyone’s timing is different. And every path in life is different.”
Certainly there haven’t been as many in women’s golf as Zhang or the office wall in her parents’ house.