CLIFTON, N.J. — There’s just something about New Jersey for Rose Zhang. The 20-year-old earned her first professional victory in her pro debut at the Mizuho Americas Open last June, defeating her fellow Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho in a playoff at Liberty National Golf Club.
She then nearly made it a Jersey double, coming incredibly close to her first major victory just a couple of weeks later at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course in Springfield, N.J., ultimately finishing in a tie for eighth in her first LPGA Tour start as a member.
And now, in her tournament debut at the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, Zhang is tied for the lead alongside Madelene Sagstrom with 36 holes to play in the Garden State.
She blitzed the field on day one at Upper Montclair Country Club, carding a career-low, bogey-free, 9-under 63 to kick off the week, a round that saw her make nine birdies, four of which came consecutively on holes six through nine. It was a confidence-boosting day for Zhang, who has had an up-and-down year thus far in 2024, missing two cuts and recording two top-10 finishes in her six total starts this season, and the 20-year-old couldn’t stop smiling in her post-round press conference, clearly pleased that she finally put a low one together.
“It's pretty big actually (for my confidence) because I know that the number is out there for me,” said Zhang. “If I'm able to get dialed in and do what I need to prior to playing an event, and also during the event, at least the number's out there and I can let free a little bit more to play my own game. I think as long as I have that little bit of confidence, no matter what happens the next couple of days, I know that I'm going to be able to grind it out and figure something out along the way.”
And Zhang was right. In a wet and chilly second round, the California native successfully backed up her stunning first-round performance, carding a solid 4-under 68 in challenging conditions on Friday at Upper Montclair, making one bogey and five birdies en route to recording the lowest 36-hole total of her young LPGA Tour career.
She also currently holds the 36-hole lead/co-lead for the first time since becoming an LPGA Tour member in 2023, momentum Zhang will work to continue building upon as she works to track down her second Tour title over the weekend.
“I'm very thankful that I have these two rounds under my belt because it's a little bit of a confidence boost to say that I have it in me to be able to shoot numbers,” said Zhang. “Being out here, it's sometimes a little bit difficult to feel that out, so the next two days it's really me trying to stay as composed as possible. I'm really enjoying it, and for the most part, I think there are always learning curves.
“No matter what happens the next two days I'm going to take it all in. We'll see what happens because we just have to grind it out. It's going to be colder, and I couldn't expect anything colder than this. We're going to have to transition towards that slowly. Very confident no matter what I can handle the circumstances, so we'll see.”
Zhang has risen to the occasion for pretty much her entire competitive golf career, whether it’s winning the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, collecting back-to-back NCAA Championships, defeating major champions in her first professional start or balancing classes at Stanford and a pro golf career.
So, a weekend in contention with a star-studded leaderboard chasing? Piece of cake for Zhang. An eventual victory would just be the cherry on top.
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