Stanford sophomore Rose Zhang is the top-ranked amateur in the world for a reason.
She won the NCAA individual title as a freshman in May at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. She helped the Cardinal capture the team title. A week ago, she was in Paris representing the United States in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, where she tied for low individual score. She also won AIG Women’s British Open’s Smyth Salver, which is given to low amateur.
Now, Zhang has a new accolade to add to her impressive resume: Pebble Beach course record.
Zhang shot a 9-under 63 in the second round of the 2022 Carmel Cup on Saturday, her first college tournament of the 2022-23 season, to set the women’s course record at Pebble Beach. The 2022 ANNIKA Award winner for player of the year had seven birdies, one eagle and no bogeys en route to her record round, and she leads by five in the individual competition with one round to go Sunday.
Brittany Lincicome set the previous record of 8-under 64 in 2021 at the 50th annual TaylorMade Pebble Beach Invitational, the only tournament that pits players from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Korn Ferry Tours against each other.
Zhang had birdies on the second, fourth and fifth holes then made eagle on the par-5 sixth. Zhang then birdies the famous par-3 seventh and went out in 6-under 30. She collected three more birdies on Nos. 11, 16 and 18.
Stanford leads the team competition by nine shots over second-place Texas A&M.
The men’s course record is a 61, which former Texas Tech golfer Hurly Long shot in 2017. Tom Kite (1983), David Duval (1997) and Patrick Cantlay (2021) have each shot 62 in a professional tournament.
In addition, Zhang’s 13-under 131 through two rounds ties Rachel Heck’s 36-hole school record, which was set at the 2022 Gunrock Invitational at Del Paso Country Club.