JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Two-time NCAA particular person champion Rose Zhang made her skilled debut and gave the LPGA what was anticipated and wanted Thursday, a strong opening spherical within the Mizuho Americas Open that put her in place to wow ladies’s golf on one among its largest phases.
The 20-year-old from Stanford who has dominated the ladies’s novice rankings for greater than two years shot a 2-under-par 70 on the Liberty Nationwide Golf Course within the shadow of New York. The California resident was 5 pictures off the early lead held by Lauren Hartlage.
Aditi Ashok, the primary girl from India on the tour, was at 5-under within the occasion the place the main focus shifted to Zhang final weekend together with her announcement she was turning professional. She has been thought-about by many as presumably the following nice ladies’s participant on tour.
Zhang did not dominate on her first day as a professional however she confirmed sufficient making 5 birdies and three bogeys on a day her putter did not assist her. She hit fairways and greens in a spherical on a 6,671-yard course that incorporates a par-3 performed with the Statue of Liberty starring golfers within the face.
“This was positively a spherical that would have been higher, and that form of will get me excited to work on extra and to develop my recreation even additional,” Zhang stated. “I felt like I left a pair pictures on the market, and I feel there’s quite a lot of room for enchancment.”
There have been additionally some pictures that have been nice. On the par-5, No. 13, she chipped in from 29-yards, coming from under the outlet and having the ball cross the size of the inexperienced earlier than falling within the gap.
The folks following her group liked it. It was what they anticipated from the Arcadia, California, resident who has received back-to-back ANNIKA Awards (2022, 2023) and the 2023 Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Newbie. Her eight wins this season tied Tiger Woods for probably the most by a Stanford participant at school historical past, and her 12 wins in 20 school begins are a college file.
It is why folks put her in a class with Woods.
“I do not actually have to consider different folks’s expectations,” Zhang stated. “Like I stated earlier than, I consider it as a praise that they suppose I am able to extra. However on the general degree, I feel I’ve people who simply need me to do the most effective I can they usually push me to be higher.”
Zhang will should be higher if Hartlage continues enjoying in addition to she did on Thursday.
Beginning on par-5, No. 10, Hartlage ignited her career-best spherical by hitting her second shot to inside a foot and making eagle. She added 5 extra birdies over the ultimate 17 holes, including it was good to play effectively after struggling in her final 4 occasions.
“I really feel like nobody actually expects me to be on the prime, and it is form of enjoyable simply having the ability to simply play with a few of the greatest on this planet and see how I rank,” stated the 25-year-old who has two prime 10 finishes since becoming a member of the tour final yr.
Ashok, who has two prime 5 finishes in her final three occasions, is 2 pictures behind Hartlage after a bogey-free spherical.
“I simply know that if I play good 4 days, then I am going to have a fairly good likelihood,” Ashok stated.
