Latest news with #RoseZhang
Arab News
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Lottie Woad rides wave of momentum into AIG Women's Open
PORTHCAWL: As the world of women's golf prepares for the final major of the year, an English prodigy has seized the limelight. Lottie Woad is the hottest player in the game and will be among the favorites to land her first major championship when the AIG Women's Open tees off at Royal Porthcawl on Thursday in Porthcawl, Wales. Woad's litany of accomplishments dates back to last year, when she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur, rose to No. 1 in the world amateur rankings and tied for 10th at the Women's Open at St. Andrews for low-am honors. But July has seen the 21-year-old truly dominate the sport. Woad had a six- shot win at the Women's Irish Open on the Ladies European Tour, then tied for third at the most recent major, the Evian Championship, all before officially turning pro. Then came the Women's Scottish Open last week, where Woad matched Rose Zhang's feat in 2023 by winning her first start as a professional, three strokes clear of the field. 'I've really been just enjoying myself,' Woad said this week. 'Enjoyed being in these events and competing and being in contention, just try to have fun with it and not add too much stress, really.' Woad is the odds-on favorite to win this week at BetMGM and FanDuel Sportsbook. And she's certainly caught the eye of her peers. 'Absolutely amazing,' said Nelly Korda, who played with her at the Scottish Open. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process. 'I think, when it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves. But she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time, and I think that's one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment.' Korda remains atop the world rankings, but her winless season has come as a surprise after she won seven times in 2024. 'I feel like I don't really have anything more to prove to people ever,' Korda said. 'For me it's just I'm passionate about the game. I love the game. I love playing in these kind of conditions, testing my game, and getting to play against the best players in the world.' Royal Porthcawl has hosted three Senior Open Championships since 2014, but this marks its first time hosting the women's major. It is a par-72 course that will play 6,580 yards this week. Lydia Ko of New Zealand is the defending champion thanks to her two-shot win at St. Andrews last year, shortly after she won the Olympic gold medal and clinched her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. 'I think it was just fun for me, and I was just trying to have more of an open mindset and just trying to be free rather than hit perfect shots,' Ko said. 'I think that's really important on these links-style golf courses. You could hit a really solid shot and be so far away from the pin, and that could be vice versa. It's just more about creativity, and I hope that will be kind of the strategy that I'll take toward this week.' Three of the first four major winners this season were first-timers: Japan's Mao Saigo at the Chevron Championship; Sweden's Maja Stark at the US Women's Open; and Australia's Grace Kim at the Evian, where she had a comeback for the ages. Kim finished her final round birdie-birdie-par-eagle to force a playoff, where she beat Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand. 'I think just knowing that my game is there and good enough,' Kim said of this week's test. 'Just mentally preparing whatever could happen.'
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How many U.S. Girls' Junior winners have success as a pro? A look back on last 25 years
The 76th U.S. Girls' Junior is underway at Atlanta Athletic Club, where 156 players hoped to join an elite list of past champions that includes Mickey Wright, JoAnne Carner, Nancy Lopez and Lexi Thompson. This year's championship is a global affair, with 16 different countries represented, including six from Thailand and Australia. The average age of the field: 16.42. The adage "anything can happen" is often applied to match play, and success at the Girls' Junior certainly doesn't guarantee future success. And yet, it takes something special to survive and advance over the course of two rounds of stroke play and six matches. Plenty of past champions have gone on to win some of the biggest titles in golf. Over the past 25 years, nine U.S. Girls' Junior champions have won a total of 67 LPGA titles, including 14 majors. The impressive list includes LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park, who her first USGA title in 2002 and then finished runner-up to Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff in 2003 and In-Kyung Kim in 2005. Girls' Junior winners who went on to win majors in that timeframe include In-Kyung Kim (1), Lexi Thompson (1), Ariya Jutanugarn (2), Minjee Lee (3) and Park (7). Four of the nine have won more than 10 LPGA titles: Park (21), Jutanugarn (12), Lee (11) and Thompson (11). Yealimi Noh (2018) became the latest Junior champion to break through on the LPGA last February at the LPGA Founders Cup. Rose Zhang, who won in 2021, claimed her first LPGA title two years after she beat Bailey Davis at Columbia Country Club. Julieta Granada won only once on the LPGA, but it was a big one. In her rookie season on tour, Granada won the season-ending ADT Championship and the tour's first $1 million prize. Notable runner-ups who have also won the LPGA include Alexa Pano (2018), Andrea Lee (2016) and Angel Yin (2015). This article originally appeared on Golfweek: How many U.S. Girls' Junior champs win as pros? The list is impressive
NBC Sports
08-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Korda, Zhang look to answer questions in Jersey
Paige Mackenzie offers her thoughts on Rose Zhang's recovery from a lingering neck injury and Nelly Korda's attempt to defend her title at the Mizuho Americas Open.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rose Zhang returns to LPGA after rehabbing from neck injury alongside UFC fighters
Rose Zhang returns to LPGA after rehabbing from neck injury alongside UFC fighters Rose Zhang returns to the LPGA after a month-long break at this week's Mizuho Americas Open, site of her extraordinary win two years ago in her professional debut. Zhang, 21, missed the first major of the season due to recurring neck spasms and has been back home in Las Vegas rehabbing at the UFC Performance Institute. Doing chin-ups next to a bunch of trained fighters proved to be intimidating, the two-time LPGA winner said with a smile. When asked to expand on any interactions she might have had with UFC fighters or tips that may have been exchanged, Zhang relayed a rather gruesome tale. "I was doing PT on the table and my PT that was working, Heather, looked at a photo from someone that came in and wanted her to see an athlete's injury," said Zhang. "She just simply looked at it and said, amputation. "I was like, how bad is it to have your whatever be amputated? She was like, oh, do you want to see it, so casually, no change in demeanor." When pressed about the body part in question, Zhang said it was a middle toe. "I was just like, this is the type of place where they've seen everything," she said. "In my head I'm like, whatever I have is really nothing compared to what they're doing out there." While Zhang said she's now pain-free, she admitted that the recovery process hasn't been the smoothest. She started hitting balls only three days ago. "Obviously it goes unsaid, but the neck is very important for anything that you do," she said. "I just remember being in the car and any sort of movement obviously caused a lot of pain. "To be able to do like very simple tasks and sleep really well, I think it's definitely a blessing. So I'm taking all the positives out of it. Now going back into the golf game, the fact that I see the ball fly, the fact that I can rotate and not feel too much pain, that's honestly all that I can ask for." An upbeat Zhang said she feels good about her mindset and considers the forced break – even though painful – a blessing in disguise.
Newsweek
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
LPGA Phenom Rose Zhang Out of Season's First Major, Chevron Championship
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Two-time LPGA Tour winner Rose Zhang has officially withdrawn from the Chevron Championship, the first major of the season, to be played this week at Carlton Woods, Texas. According to a report from Golfweek, the two-time LPGA Tour winner has been dealing with a neck injury for several weeks. Zhang herself had informed her fans of her ailment in an Instagram post in early April: "I found myself struggling to compete in high spirits due to an injury," Zhang wrote. "Just remember, this isn't a sob story. While this period is unique and frustrating, I find great optimism in getting better and working hard to compete at the highest level." She suffered the injury during the first round of the T-Mobile Match Play on April 3. Zhang was unable to recover and was forced to withdraw from her second-round match against Albane Valenzuela. The injury persisted and Zhang was also forced to withdraw from the JM Eagle LA Championship. Zhang has played in the Chevron Championship three times, twice in her illustrious amateur career. She finished tied for 60th in 2018, tied for 11th and won the low amateur award in 2020, and missed the cut in 2024. The 21-year-old began her professional career in June 2023 and did so in style. She became the first woman to win her debut on the LPGA Tour since 1954 when Beverly Hanson accomplished the feat. Since then, she has added to her resume another victory and nine top 10s, three of them in major championships. Rose Zhang of the United States lines up a putt on the fifth green during the third round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 2025 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on... Rose Zhang of the United States lines up a putt on the fifth green during the third round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 2025 at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club on February 01, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. MoreHowever, Rose Zhang has juggled her professional golf career with her studies at Stanford University, where she already broke many of Tiger Woods' records. This has forced her to miss numerous tournaments, especially early in the season. In fact, she has played in only three tournaments in 2025. She tied for 10th at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January and then did not return to the LPGA Tour for the next eight weeks. Her next start was the Ford Championship, where she missed the cut, and then the T-Mobile Match Play with the aforementioned result. Zhang, who was once ranked in the world's top 10, is currently ranked 22nd in the world. Just wait until her college studies are behind her. The golf world will be her oyster. More Golf: Justin Thomas Reveals How Wife, Jill, Newborn Almost Cost him RBC Heritage
