SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Rose Zhang left Baltusrol content with the result but not content with how she played.
It’s a simple statement but one that reveals so much about the maturity of a 20-year-old who contended in her first major championship as a professional. Zhang pulled within one shot on the back nine Sunday at the KPMG Women’s PGA, but ultimately came up three shots short of another 20-year-old, China’s Ruoning Yin, who drained a 12-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole to become the second player from China to win a major, joining Shanshan Feng.
Zhang, who won her first LPGA event as a professional earlier this month in New Jersey, closed with a 67 and tied for eighth. She earned $214,811, bringing her total earnings in two weeks as a pro to $627,311.
“It’s definitely a different dynamic when you’re a professional versus an amateur,” said Zhang, “and when you’re playing your game, you really have to be precise with your numbers, really understand what your swing is doing, and there is no room for error. Therefore, I’m excited to keep working on my game and make sure that it’s pristine when I go to the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble.”
Zhang’s veteran caddie, Jason Gilroyed, said his boss played to her B+ game this week: “And still had a chance to win, which is amazing.”
Gilroyed looked back at a sloppy bogey she made on the seventh hole Friday and a sloppy double on the eighth as a stretch that could’ve been a real difference-maker. Sloppy isn’t usually Zhang’s style.
“You have to be on your toes at all times,” said Zhang of this week’s test. “Losing a little bit of focus causes you to have errors, and that’s just something you can’t afford at a major championship.
After a week off, Zhang heads to Pebble Beach Golf Links for the U.S. Women’s Open. She set a new women’s course record at Pebble Beach last year when she shot 9-under 63 in the second round of the 2022 Carmel Cup while playing at Stanford.