JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Two years ago at the LPGA’s inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, the excitement was palpable.
Rose Zhang, fresh off winning the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and her second consecutive NCAA individual title, was making her professional debut after 141 weeks as the No. 1 women’s golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Zhang, who forwent her final two years at Stanford University, had arguably the biggest expectations in the sport since Michelle Wie West. And ironically, Zhang was making her first start at the event that Wie West hosts.
Beforehand, Wie West had high praise for Zhang.
“There is no better player than (Zhang),” Wie West said when asked if there’s ever been a more talented amateur golfer.
Then Zhang went out and did the unthinkable, winning in her first start as a pro—the first woman to accomplish that feat since Beverly Hanson in 1951.
Two years later, how would she asses her LPGA career?
“I'd say everything’s been very eventful,” the 21-year-old told Sports Illustrated after her first-round 73 at the 2025 Mizuho Americas Open. “I’d say every year has been very different in terms of obstacles.”
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— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023
Zhang’s second—and last—victory came almost a year ago at the Founders Cup. In 37 LPGA starts since turning pro, she has 11 top 10s, 16 top 25s and six missed cuts. Not too shabby, considering she’s done all of that while also finishing her degree.
“I had to get acclimated to the life inside the ropes,” the world No. 20 says, “the life outside of the ropes, and then going back to school, going back and forth, it is a little bit of a unique situation that I’m in. So I’d say like I've been just mostly adapting these last two seasons.”
There have also been curveballs.
This year Zhang has made three starts but had to withdraw from the JM Eagle LA Championship and then missed the Chevron Championship, the year’s first major, with a neck injury. She is returning this week at the Mizuho. She also missed her Mizuho title defense in 2024 with an illness, but won in her next start.
“There’s a lot to be unexpected out here (on tour),” she says.
It’s all been part of the learning process. Zhang knew tour life was going to be a grind, and it has helped mold her into who she is today, even more than she imagined.
“I’d say there would be a lot of personal development and personal growth that’s involved in this entire journey,” she says, “but I didn’t think it would be that much.”
On the course, Zhang is trying to “reinvent” herself. Having only made three starts this season entering this week, and with the U.S. Women’s Open at the end of the month, the Californian believes the player she is today is a “little bit different now.” Therefore she’s reworking her swing, which she feels has “faltered in the last two years.”
“I’m just gonna take (this season) in my stride,” Zhang says. “I think it’s important to just work on what you need to. I know myself and my team knows better about where my game is at, and I think we’re just working on trying to get that better. I’m optimistic about the middle of the season. I’m trying to play well, but at the same time, you also have to step back a little bit and understand that it’s not gonna come super easy.”
Many thought that it would, though, after winning in her pro debut. But golf can be humbling.
To say Zhang has done fine in her first few years on tour would be an understatement. Yet, there were Tiger Woods-esque expectations for her a few years ago, and some—albeit unfairly—might have expected more than two wins.
But Zhang isn’t dwelling on the hype.
“A lot of my expectation management before was a little bit blinding,” Zhang says. “It was like, ‘Oh, you’re not really thinking too much about things and you’re kind of riding the wave. You're going with adrenaline and trying to get things done.’ I’d say it worked pretty well for me, but at the same time, there’s a limit to how much you can handle.”
And that was another aspect of tour life that Zhang had to discover how to navigate.
“I felt like I didn’t pace myself super well,” she says, “so I think right now it’s kind of like rather than backtracking, I’m more so like slowing things down a little bit and processing things a little bit better.
“So in terms of just like the entire pressure, I think I’ve realized like it’s not completely necessary to be like attracted to that or looking at that right now. I’m kind of going back to the roots of my game.”
Maybe that mindset helps Zhang fulfill the lofty expectations bestowed upon her two years ago. But if there are a few more detours for Zhang becoming the face of the sport, she’s ready for the ride.
“There’s just a lot that’s happening that you have to overcome,” she says, “but I think it’s also for a good story.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rose Zhang Is Still Getting Comfortable With Life on LPGA Tour.
