AUGUST | When she first put her ball on the Augusta National tee, Rose Zhang was 15 years old and just a talented high school student. Four years later, she appeared there as the tournament’s director, unabashedly dominating the amateur world.
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In her previous three stints at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, she has never been in such a controlling position. In 2021 she had finished third. His best performance at this prestigious tournament.
But in the immaculate lanes of the National, she never managed to break normality. She returned cards of 75 in her first two runs and 74 last year. She is one of three golfers to have competed in the four editions of the championship.
This time, Zhang’s brilliant performances at Champions Retreat Golf Club (66th and 65th) built an almost insurmountable five-shot lead over his closest opponents.
Nevertheless, the 19-year-old Californian wants to keep pushing the gas pedal to finally lift the precious trophy.
position to tame
It would be obvious even for the defending NCAA champion and winner of 12 individual career titles around the world. That’s not counting team wins, especially last May’s Stanford Cardinal.
“Playing forward is very different than chasing the point guard when you’re a shot or two behind. It’s important to know that a full field will try to overtake you when something can happen, explained the world’s first amateur golfer.
“Every hole and every score is important on this course,” she added aptly. I have to do my best.”
It should be noted that on this legendary course, Jennifer Kupcho is the author of the best round since the tournament’s first edition in 2019. She had played 67(-5) there to become first champion.
As in the NCAA
By Friday, Zhang was already feeling a tingle at the thought of refereeing the tournament. She knows she needs to finish her job by, among other things, drawing inspiration from the events where she excelled for her team.
She also thinks about the 24 hours leading up to her conquest of the NCAA championship, which she still freshly remembers.
In his opinion, this final had given him cold sweats despite his extensive track record and his presence at prestigious championships.
“That’s when I was the most nervous in the tournament. But mostly because I knew that I wasn’t just playing for myself, but also for my team. I really wanted to try that title because that’s why I’ve always wanted to play college circuit,” she said.
“I finally got my nervousness under control and managed to get the job done,” she continued. This experience will definitely help me in the final round tomorrow [samedi], as it is difficult to play this course by a large margin. You have to stick to the game plan as several girls will try to climb the leaderboard. You have to be prepared for anything.”