Rose Zhang spent a large chunk of Sunday evening riding in the back of a car to Long Island, New York, FaceTiming friends and family after her victory at the Cognizant Founders Cup. She caught up with her victorious Stanford teammates as well as “non-golf friends” and talked to mom.
Zhang turned pro immediately after the NCAA Championship last spring and won her first event, the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open, in dramatic fashion. She returns this week to defend her title at picturesque Liberty National Golf Club, where 120 LPGA pros and 24 AJGA players will vie for a pair of trophies. The AJGA invitational runs concurrently, and over the weekend, pros and juniors will be paired together.
“I guess I’m not really a rookie anymore,” said Zhang, who jumped to No. 6 in the world.
Zhang’s comeback win at the Cognizant took a bit of the buzz away from Nelly Korda, who fell short of winning a sixth consecutive start.
Americans have now won seven times on the LPGA this season. The last time Americans won more than seven LPGA titles before June 1 in a given season was back in 1998 with nine.
Here are five nuggets to know from Jersey City: