In a move long anticipated, Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA women’s golf individual champion and longtime world No. 1 amateur, announced Friday she’s turning professional.
The Stanford sophomore will pro debut in the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club next week. Zhang, who turned 20 on Wednesday, announced her move on Instagram. She’ll hold a news conference next Tuesday in Jersey City, N.J., according to her agent, Kevin Hopkins, of Excel Sports Management.
Zhang’s pro debut will be one of the most anticipated in women’s professional golf history. Zhang made the cut in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open as a 16-year-old, won the 2020 U.S. Amateur, and finished tied for 11th at the 2020 ANA Inspiration, an LPGA major. She could’ve turned pro then, but opted to enroll at Stanford. While most expected her to play only one season of collegiate golf, she instead spent two years with the Cardinal.
Those two seasons produced a historical run. Zhang won 12 of 20 college tournaments, winning at an unheard-of rate. She broke Tiger Woods’ school record for total wins while playing six fewer tournaments. She also matched Lorena Ochoa for the most wins in Pac-12 women’s golf history.
Zhang won both the 2022 and 2023 women’s individual national…
