Dubbed the ‘female Tiger Woods’ by golfing contemporaries, Rose Zhang has been heralded the next big thing in women’s golf for the past year. But that’s not the only nickname she’s earned. Enter Anne Walker: Zhang’s coach and the head coach of Stanford University women’s golf team. Walker’s nickname for Zhang draws inspiration from her competitive composure, metronomic swing, and near-legendary consistency — ‘Mozart of golf’. And oh, is she a star on the greens.
Zhang is not your average 21-year-old. She has become adept at juggling her soaring golf career, which is already making ripples on the LPGA, with her academic obligations at Stanford University. Her extraordinary ascent has brought her from peak to peak. She dominated amateur golf before going professional, leaving a lasting impression. She then made an Olympic appearance, securing excellent finishes in professional events. In very little time, Zhang had achieved much.
The mix of talent, dedication and composure distinguishes her as an upcoming phenomenon in women’s golf. Let’s take a closer look at Zhang’s background, accomplishments, net worth, and more.
Child prodigy
Zhang was born on May 24, 2003 in Arcadia, Los Angeles, California.
She spent much of her childhood outdoors, on the tennis court, basketball court, and swimming pool. But when she picked up her first golf club at the age of nine, she sensed something was different. To avoid smashing the neighbours’ windows, she spent hours pounding countless plastic bottle caps in her backyard gathered by her father, Haibin, a Chinese immigrant who worked many jobs.
Zhang attended the Pacific Academy at Irvine, California for high school. She has had George Pinnell as her golf instructor since she was 11, and in high school she was twice named the world’s top woman amateur golfer. Enrolling at Stanford University in 2021 triggered a period of growth in her golf career, which was evident from the exploits that followed. Notably, Zhang shot nine shots under par to set a new women’s course record at the 2022 Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Glittering amateur career
In 2019 when she was just 16, Zhang competed in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) at the revered Augusta National Golf Club. She was one of the youngest competitors and finished in a tie for 17th place.
Her early accomplishments include taking home the 2019 Rolex Junior Player of the Year title from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and representing the United States in several highly regarded competitions.
She teed off at the 2019 US Women’s Open and finished in a tie for the 55th place at 7-over par. She was a member of the victorious US mixed team at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima and finished eighth in the individual contest.
Zhang was also a member of Team USA in the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup, where she played a crucial part in the singles matches, helping the team retain the championship.
In August 2020, she won the United States Women’s Amateur Championship, an occasion that marked one of her most notable successes. The event, which took place in Rockville, Maryland’s Woodmont Country Club, highlighted her extraordinary talent and resilience. She won the championship on the 38th hole after overpowering Gabriela Ruffels in a thrilling final match. The triumph cemented her place among the world’s best woman amateur golfers and paved the way for subsequent accomplishments.
Winning ways
When Zhang got into Stanford University in 2021, she honed her prowess in the sport by partaking in collegiate golf. Unsurprisingly, she made quite an impression in the women’s golf team, making history as the first woman golfer to win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships for two straight years (2022 and 2023). Her exceptional feats helped Stanford win team championships and anchored her status as a dominant force in collegiate golf.
In 2023, she defeated Jenny Bae on the second playoff hole to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. At the same time, she became the first woman to hold the top spot on the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 141 weeks, the longest streak in history.
Distinguishing herself throughout her amateur career with consistency and displaying a knack for high-pressure play, Zhang won several American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments and was placed high in world-renowned amateur competitions, among other noteworthy accomplishments. She earned numerous awards for her achievements on the golf course, including the Honda Sports Award and ANNIKA Award, which honours the best woman collegiate golfer in the United States.
Apart from her collegiate golf achievements, Zhang has also represented the United States in several international team events. She was instrumental in the US team’s triumphs at the Arnold Palmer Cup, Curtis Cup, and Junior Ryder Cup. Her performances at these iconic events gained her significant accolades and highlighted her ability to work well in a team setting.
In spite of her busy schedule, Zhang has managed to stay focused on academics. She has demonstrated her commitment to personal development by juggling her academic obligations at Stanford with success in golf. The eagerness to expand her skill set beyond golf in preparation for a future on and off the course is evident in her pursuit of a degree in communications.
Zhang has had nothing short of an incredible amateur career, and while she makes rapid strides in professional golf, her legacy as an amateur will inspire a future generation of golfers.
Professional career
In May 2023, Zhang announced her intention to play professionally, less than a week after taking home her second NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship. Days later, she made history as the first woman in 72 years to win her maiden LPGA event, the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open, as a non-member only days after turning 20.
She played a total of 13 events last season and made cut in 11, even appearing at the 2023 Solheim Cup. She had a total of four top 10 finishes, including the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, US Women’s Open, and the Amundi Evian Championship. Besides her breakthrough win at the Mizuho Americas Open, Zhang posted another strong finish at the Maybank Championship, where she tied for third place. Through her 13 starts on the LPGA that season, Zhang earned USD 1.4 million in prize money.
As of October 2024, she has had 19 starts and made cut in 14, winning her lone event of the season at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May. It was a brilliant show of resilience as Zhang rallied late in the final round, birdieing four of the last five holes to secure victory by out-dueling Madelene Sagstrom by two shots and finishing the tournament with a score of 24-under 264.
Her top 10 finishes in the 2024 season include the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, T-Mobile Match Play and CPKC Women’s Open.
As of October 2024, she has won USD 956,600 in the season’s prize money.
Olympic appearance
Zhang made her Olympic debut in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play event at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. On one of the most powerful platforms in the world, the 21-year-old Zhang displayed her extraordinary skill and poise. Her eighth-place finish just five shots behind gold medallist Lydia Ko of New Zealand proved her ability to compete with the world’s best golfers.
2025 so far
While her career has been an exceptional one so far, Zhang has suffered some major setbacks as of 2025. Having teed off at several LPGA events in the year so far, including the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and the Ford Championship, Zhang was forced to withdraw from the upcoming LPGA Major, the Chevron Championship, due to a neck injury. Given that the Chevron Championship is the LPGA’s first major of the year, Zhang has much time to recover and recoup her losses; however, this withdrawal will certainly leave her smarting for more success moving forward.
Net worth
Zhang has amassed substantial earnings through her appearance on the LPGA. From 2023 till now, she has USD 2.3 million in career earnings, and according to golfreddit.com, Zhang’s net worth is estimated to be USD 30 million as of June 2024. A number of factors contribute to this number, such as sponsorship deals, endorsements, ad campaigns and tournament winnings. In fact, she was among the first collegiate athletes to get into multiple sponsorship agreements with big corporations.
In June 2022, Zhang became Adidas’ first sponsored student athlete when the company announced its first name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreement with her for her clothing, golf shoes and accessories. The announcement of the multi-year contract came the morning before her arrival at the US Women’s Open. Her other major sponsors, excluding Adidas, are Beats by Dre, Uswing Eyewear, AT&T, Rolex, Callaway, Delta, and East West Bank.
(Main and featured images: Rose Zhang/Instagram)
This article was first publish on Prestige Hong Kong
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
