Rose Zhang
Who is Rose Zhang?
Rose Zhang has become an appealing name in the golf fraternity for her decorated achievements in such a short span of time. She is renowned for her incredible swing, which she has worked really hard on. Let's explore all that the emerging LPGA star has accomplished in her career and the path she is now on.
Rose Zhang’s Early Life
Rose Zhang was born on May 24, 1993, in Arcadia, California. She has resided in the Los Angeles area her whole life. She currently lives in Irvine, California. Her parents are Haibin Zhang and Li Cai. She was introduced to the sport at the tender age of 9 when her father's friend brought over a set of clubs, and she got intrigued by them. Zhang attended the Pacific Academy in her residence's district and then went to Stanford University in 2021.
She has had a decorated AJGA career as well. The 2016 Rolex Junior All-American champion has two AJGA victories to her name. She emerged victorious in the 2017 Girls Junior PGA Championship in July. Zhang also competed as a member of the 2017 Wyndham Cup West team. Her other notable tournaments during her junior years are the KPMG Stacy Lewis Junior All-Star Invitational, where she finished at T3, the Rolex Girs Junior Championship, the PING Heather Farr Classic, the ANA Junior Inspiration, the ANNIKA Invitational, where she finished at T5, the 2016 Polo Golf Junior Classic, where she again finished at T5, the PING Invitational, the Callaway Golf Junior Championship, where she finished at T3, and the Under Armour/Allison Lee Championship, where she emerged as a runner-up.
At the age of 16, Zhang sure added a lot more feathers to her hat than a conventional amateur golfer. She represented the USA at the Junior Solheim Cup. In the same year, Zhang was one of the youngest golfers ever to compete in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The Stanford star was also named Girls Rolex Junior Player of the Year by the AJGA. She also competed in the 2019 US Women's Open. At the Pan American Games of that year, she was in the winning mix of the US mixed-gender team and finished in 8th place in the individual competition.
Rose Zhang’s Net Worth 2024
The 20-year-old prodigal golfer has been making huge waves in the world of golf since her amateur days and now, with her debut on the LPGA Tour in 2023 and her participation in various golf tournaments having added to her career earnings, Zhang's reported net worth is estimated to be $3 million, with her career earnings tallying up to be $1,437,864 till date.
Rose Zhang’s Career Timeline
2020 was the most inspiring moment of Zhang's amateur career. She won the US Women's Amateur in August 2020. She had beaten Gabriela Ruffles, and after this tremendous win in August, she became the number one amateur golfer.
Rose Zhang won the Mark H. McCormack Medal three times in her amateur career while ranking at the apex position. She won the medal for three consecutive years, starting in 2020.
In 2021, the amateur golfer stunned everyone with her marvelous victory in the US Girls' Junior Championship. She defeated Bailey Davis with a winning score of 6 and 4. Zhang also represented Team USA in the Curtis Cup for two consecutive years, in 2021 and 2022.
In 2022, she won the NCAA Championship by three shots and then went on to clinch the second team title for Stanford University. To honor her remarkable contribution to college golf, she was awarded the Annika Award for best female college golfer of the year on her 19th birthday. She then entered the 2022 Women's British Open and finished in a tie for the 28th position.
The list of her other amateur wins is as follows:
- 2016 AJGA-CCJGT Junior at Yorba Linda
- 2017 Junior PGA Championship, Junior America's Cup
- 2018 ANA Junior Inspiration, Swinging Skirts AJGA Invitational, The PING Invitational
- 2019 Toyota Junior World Cup, Swinging Skirts AJGA Invitational, and Rolex Tournament of Champions
- 2020 Rolex Girls Junior Championship, The PING Invitational, and the Rolex Tournament of Champions
- 2021 Molly Collegiate Invitational, Windy City Collegiate Classic, Stanford Intercollegiate, Spirit International Amateur Championship (individual)
It is every collegiate golfer's dream to play professionally. Some golfers are fortunate enough to be able to live that dream, whereas others are not. Rose Zhang is one of those fortunate golfers who was able to live her lifelong dream.
The 20-year-old decorated golfer made the announcement of debuting professionally in the Mizuho Americas Open on May 26, 2023. She announced the delightful news on her Instagram account.
After the Stanford sophomore made the announcement, she was exempt from participating in this year's women's majors: the June 22–25 Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol, the July 6–9 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach, and the Aug. 10–13 Women's Open in Surrey, England.
Rose Zhang's start to her LPGA career sounds like something out of a movie. On June 4th, 2023, the Stanford student etched her name in the annals of golfing history by becoming the first player in 72 years to win on the LPGA Tour in her pro debut.
Her win even caught the attention of a certain Stanford alumnus, none other than Tiger Woods, who congratulated the two-time NCAA winner. After achieving such a marvelous feat, Zhang immediately accepted her LPGA Tour membership. Further went on to represent the United States at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Andalucia, Spain. In her latest outing at the LPGA Tour's first event of 2024, the golfer secured a T7 at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Rose Zhang’s Partnerships and Endorsements
The rising star became the first college-level golfer to be sponsored by the biggest brands. The golf equipment brand Callaway was among them. The Carlsbad-based brand even released Chrome Soft X Truvis "Rose"—limited edition golf balls to celebrate the LPGA pro's historic win. The sports apparel and equipment brand Adidas was Rose's first sponsor. The golfer signed deals with these two brands in 2022.
As she turned pro, she bagged two more sponsorships from East West Bank and Delta. She made her pro debut at Liberty National with five sponsorships in total: Adidas, Callaway, Delta, East West Bank, and USwing Eyewear. She will wear Adidas apparel and shoes on the course, along with Callaway's golf bag. Delta will appear on the left side of her headwear, and the East-West Bank will appear on her right sleeve.
Rose Zhang’s Career stats
Currently, the 20-year-old is holding the twenty-third spot on the Rolex Women's World Golf rankings. With just one year on the LPGA Tour, Zhang has found herself with five career Top 10 finishes. In 2023, the Irvine resident impressively made 12 cuts among the 13 events she played and also had four top-10 finishes, which included the Mizuho Americas Open.
Rose Zhang’s Records
Before she rose to the top tier in the rankings, she finished in the 11th position in the LPGA major, the ANA Inspiration. Her final score at this tournament became the best score an amateur golfer has ever shot in this tournament. The previous records were held by Caroline Keggi (1988) and Michelle Wie West (2004).
In May 2023, Zhang wrote NCAA Championship history. She became the first female golfer to ever win two NCAA individual titles.
With her leading performance during her time at Stanford University, Rose Zhang broke Tiger Woods's record of most wins at the aforesaid university!
Rose Zhang earned the Smyth Salver Award for low amateur. With this award, her name was added to the list of some exceptional LPGA stars like Michelle Wie West (2005), Anna Nordqvist (2008), Danielle Kang (2011), Lydia Ko (2012), and Georgia Hall (2013).
Rose Zhang was ranked in the top position in the Amateur World Rankings in September 2020. She stayed at number one in the amateur world rankings for 141 weeks straight, breaking Leona Maguire's record of 135 weeks. Zhang surpassed Maguire's record in April 2023.
Rose Zhang’s performance at Augusta National Women's Amateur
April 1, 2023, marked yet another notable moment and milestone for the young golfer. Zhang won the Augusta National Women's Amateur. She defeated Jenny Bae in the playoffs. She clinched the victory on the second playoff hole when she made par.
On the day preceding the final round on Sunday, Zhang had a stroke lead against her opponent. Winning the Augusta National Women's Amateur helped the young star achieve the amateur version of a grand slam, as she had already triumphed in the US Girls Junior, US Women's Amateur, and NCAA Championship.
Rose Zhang’s Social Media Accounts
@rosezhang |
Personal Information | |
Full Name | Rose Zhang |
Popular Name | Rose |
Date of Birth | 24th May 2003 |
Birth Place | Arcadia, California, United States |
Age | 20 |
Height | 5 ft 6.5 inches |
Parents | Haibin and Li Cai |
Siblings | Bill Sida Zhang |
Nationality | American |