SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As if there was any doubt.
Rose Zhang, a sophomore at Stanford, teed off four shots behind the leader when she began her final round of stroke play Monday at the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club.
By the time her final putt dropped on the 18th green, she was victorious again. This time in record-setting fashion, which has become normal for Zhang in her Stanford career.
Zhang won the NCAA individual title for the second straight year. She shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Monday, finishing at 10 under and beating USC’s Catherine Park and San Jose State’s Lucia Lopez-Ortega by one shot.
With the victory, Zhang becomes the first woman to win back-to-back NCAA individual titles.
NCAA: Team scores | Individual scores | Photos
It’s also another jewel on her crown in a stellar year. The win is her eighth in 10 starts this season and 12th of her career, the most of any Stanford golfer in school history. Tiger Woods, Maverick McNealy and Patrick Rodgers each had 11 on the men’s side.
She also helped the Cardinal secure the top overall seed in match play, which begins Tuesday. Stanford will first face No. 8-seed Pepperdine with a chance to win its second consecutive team title.