Rose Zhang was 138 yards from finishing her week in style. We got so much TV coverage. She celebrated her victory by flying to Evian, France, where she competed in another LPGA major, the Amundi Evian Championship, and made the cut. When shes not golfing, she can be found doing homework, surfing the web, watching Chinese variety shows and hanging out with friends. With the technology and his ability to analyze my swing effectively, my game has really improved greatly in each stage of junior and amateur golf. She asked for it while rep- resenting America at the Junior Ryder Cup in Paris in 2018. Sometimes I tend to quick it up and I definitely feel it. Its like having another me there to share the experiences.. She is the second consecutive individual title winner for the Cardinal. Still, her early accomplishments have been nothing but stellar. He cares about, and checks scores, for every single tournament his players compete in, no matter how big or small the tournament is. Zhang made the final round and finished 17th. Among them a two-time Mark H McCormack Medal winner (2020 and 2021) as the leading player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking; 2020 U.S. Womens Amateur champion; 2021 U.S. Girls Champion; two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year; a member of the victorious 2021 U.S. Curtis Cup team; low amateur in the 2020 ANA Inspiration with an 11th place finish. She won the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2022 NCAA Division I Championship. I think shes going to blow any hard worker Ive ever had on my team away, said Cardinal coach Anne Walker. Steve does concert reviews for the Register, too, when time permits. This is where I think some of the best teaching happens. I only wish we could see him more often. Oct 17, 2021. she improved much under his good teaching and is on the way to succeed as a junior golfer step by step. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2019/07/09/rose-zhang-golf-amateur-us-womens-open-lpga/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, No. We, and all of those who you touch, owe you a deep, thank you, from the heart. She competed in the 2019 U.S. Women's Open at 16 years of age. [5][6], Zhang won the U.S. Women's Amateur in August 2020 after defeating Gabriela Ruffels in the final on the 38th hole. But what does it actually take to reach this levelof achievement? Her swings may look effortless and her rhythm unmatchable, but effortlessness is only achieved in daily, boring work 300 range balls, 100 straight 4-footers and then taking that work to the course. If Stanford is to repeat as NCAA champion, it may have to do so without one of its best players. If it wasnt for Henry, Rose wouldnt be the player she is today.. I am definitely extremely grateful and blessed to have him as a coach, mentor, and friend. MORE: Rose Zhang completes rare double with dominant victory at U.S. Girls' Junior Am Much was expected from Zhang upon her arrival in Palo Alto. She then clinched Stanford's second NCAA team title by winning the final match, 3 and 1. She never gets away from that, said Pinnell. Yes favorite part about college life is team camaraderie. It helps make me relax and believe in what I do, she says. He is very experienced and is truly an amazing person. In nine college rounds, the Irvine, Calif., native has shot par or better eight times, is a collective 23 under par and has an impressive stroke average of 69.11. She and her coach detail the keys to success. Many expect the No. Tiger Woods played two years at Stanford. The Cardinal roster includes the reigning NCAA individual champion and player of the year, Rachel Heck, and first-team All-American Angelina Ye. Her father has been with her every step of the way and has been very instrumental for Rose on her mental outlook on the game and on life, said Pinnell. Zhang chalked it up to bad course management. 1 in the American Junior Golf Association rankings for more than 53 weeks. He covered Essex and the South East of England and he knew his beat, knew the officials and the players in his region and chronicled their stories, their progress, exposing them to a wide audience. Someday she hopes to play on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. Reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion Rose Zhang spoke to the media before competing in the 2020 U.S. Women's Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.. She losther lead after a second-round75 on the challenging Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Among them a two-time Mark H McCormack Medal winner (2020 and 2021) as the leading player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking; 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur champion; 2021 U.S. Girls' Champion; two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year; a member of the victorious 2021 U . The WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING ranks male and female amateur golfers by assessing performance at thousands of amateur golf tournaments and championships, worldwide. The multi-year deal was announced on the morning of Zhang entering the U.S. Womens Open.[12]. Most important, he loves what he does and he is driven by that love. He is very experienced and is truly an amazing person. We see so many coaches with elite talent who dont totally know what to do with that talent, said Walker, and they get overwhelmed with it themselves., Rose Zhang hugs Ingrid Lindblad on the 18th green during the final round of the Augusta National Womens Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia. I showcased this inspiration almost immediately after receiving the award when I won the Rolex Tournament of Champions to start off 2020. My daughter Alice ziyi Zhao is lucky and proud to have George Pinnell as her golf coach, she likes his teaching very much. Point average. Much was expected from Zhang upon her arrival in Palo Alto. The 16-year-old phenom is a junior at Pacific Academy in Irvine, where she holds a 4.6 GPA, which is all the more amazing since she missed 50 days of school last year for tournaments. Henry, who is usually on the bag, followed every shot at Augusta from outside the ropes. Coach George has been a critical factor for my daughter, Angie Zhang, in her golf pursuit. My first lesson with George was 3 years ago. My daughter Alice ziyi Zhao is lucky and proud to have George Pinnell as her golf coach, she likes his teaching very much. In 2019, Zhang advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior and helped the USA win a mixed team gold medal in the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Top finishers will win automatic exemptions into the prestigious Golfweek International Junior Invitational Nov 4-5 in Florida. You are a fighter with a kind and big heart to create miracles in your players. Im pretty in tune in knowing what my body is doing, she said. I learned so much in so short a time while spending time with you at The Open. But she has realized that she needs to limit her circle and try to shut out any external stuff that may be negative.. As Georges student for the past 6 years, to say that he has helped my golf game is an understatement. Getty Images. And after watching her spend time practicing on the range,. The discipline and focus are off-the-charts high. George has been a critical part of my development as a player both physically and mentally as he has provided me great advice not only in golf but in life as well. 2021 Won her first three college tournaments as a Stanford freshman, breaking Tiger Woods record. Created in 2014, the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel is annually given to the top female U.S. collegiate golfer; the winner voted on by players, coaches and members of the college golf media. Zhang wins collegiate debut at the Molly Invitational. Applied Divisor. Ive always told Rose, if you can take care of the golf ball, everything else will take care of itself. 1765.2275. The last couple days weve seen really nice crowds coming out to watch them play. In total the Players that have received instruction from George have accounted for 350+ tournament wins on the Professional, College and Junior levels. When I didnt play golf I heard a lot more voices than when I was practicing, she said. Unlike sports such as soccer and basketball, golf has a steep start-up cost before you even arrive at the range with equipment. Shes competing in her third Girls Junior PGA Championship an event she won in 2017 and finished as runner-up last year which gets underway Tuesday at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford, Conn. Its a far cry from where Zhangs competitive golf career began, as a 10-year-old on the Southern California PGA Junior Development Tour. He also teaches parents some advanced ideas about golf and how to become a good parent of a good golfer. He believes so much in his players and loves what he is doing to help junior golfers grow. George has given me a tremendous amount of help with all parts of the game including the swing, short game and putting as well as the mental part of my game. What is it about Zhang that makes her so good? https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/04/03/whats-next-world-no-1-rose-zhang-augusta-loss-maturing/, Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic islands, Central America, Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Top 50 Modern Courses in Great Britain & Ireland, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He has a very personal style where he has individual chats with her, where he listens to her as much as she listens to him. She won the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur and the 2022 NCAA Division I Championship. Im pretty in tune in knowing what my body is doing," she said. Within a little over half year, he was able to get Angie's confidence back and she started shooting within 70s which was previously very rare for her. Its quite difficult, she said, because a lot of courses have closed down their short-game areas and their putting greens, and there are a lot of people who want to play golf so there are a lot of busy tee times. 8 in the womens World Amateur Golf Ranking. You are a fighter with a kind and big heart to create miracles in your players. She was named by American Junior Golf Association as the 2019 Girls Rolex Junior Player of the Year. It's been a great month of golf for me so far thanks to George Pinnell! Sometimes I tend to quick it up and I definitely feel it. We could not thank George enough for devoting some of his time to Angie's interest! She acted so naturally, in fact, she ended up winning the one-day event, setting in motion the start of a promising career that soon crossed paths with Pinnell, who began coaching her about five years ago. Annika Sorenstam played two years at Arizona, as did Lorena Ochoa. And we spend a lot of time on fundamentals: swing plane, club path and positions at the top, which is very important to get club back on plane. 20022023 Irvine Company, LLC. Hes worked with 50 AJGA All-Americans over the years, including a young Kevin Na and Anthony Kim. The same goes for junior golf, too. Could she recall the last time shed made a triple? She started playing golf after her father Henry got golf clubs from a friend. When I first came to him when I was 11, his way of teaching really intrigued me with all the technology he had including Trackman, his side/front swing cameras, and his large TVs. Rose just kind of takes it in stride, Pinnell said. Over the past year Zhang, who won the 2020 U.S. Womens Amateur, has learned how quickly life can change after suffering a wrist injury that plagued her throughout the second half of 2020 and left her sidelined for six weeks over the winter. 1-ranked amateur in September after finishing T-11 at the ANA Inspiration. This July, Zhang won the U.S. Girls Junior becoming the first player to win the U.S. Womens Am before the Junior. She played with Bronte Law, Atthaya Thitikul and Angel Yin. I only wish we could see him more often. So he asked her who was writing the messages during their next lesson. It was amazing, Zhang says. Working with you has been an amazing opportunity. In 2022, Callaway Golf announced its first name, image, and likeness deal with Zhang, making her the companys first student athlete. But were these questions really from a middle schooler, when they read more like something a 20-year-old would ask? Rose Zhang defeated Gabriela Ruffles in 38 holes to claim the title. I think her mentality is, I can beat you. Now, she would never say that, and she would kill me for saying that, but yeah. After pleasantries are exchanged at the elevator, Rose goes into game-face mode. He has helped her get to a place where she can focus on what she needs to do. Her natural tempo is beautifully smooth and unteachable. The tournament is open to any players age 13-19 who meet the eligibility requirements and are not yet affiliated with a college golf team. Zhang and Stanford have one more tournament on the fall schedule, the Pac-12 Preview in Hawaii the first week of November. Zhang began playing golf at age 9 and now, at 18, is the best amateur player in the world. Within a little over half year, he was able to get Angie's confidence back and she started shooting within 70s which was previously very rare for her. We all should learn the life lessons, attitude and the tenacious fighting spirit that you have toward difficulties that you face. Steve Burkowski and Brentley Romine debrief after some dominant performances at Blessings and Colonial before paying tribute to the late Richard Sykes. Theyve given me a flexible schedule to work with and when I come back from a tournament they help me catch up.. I have been working with George since I was 14. She doesnt make many mistakes. 2 Oregon, 3&1, Also won the Spirit International individual and team titles with teammate Rachel Heck and Team USA, T12th at 2022 Augusta National Women's Amateur, Finished T40th in U.S. Women's Open (June 2-5) at Pine Needles, Helped Team USA to 15.5-4.5 win in 2022 Curtis Cup at Merion, Played for Team USA at the Arnold Palmer Cup (July 1-3) in Geneva, Switzerland, Made cut at 2022 Evian Championship (July 21-24), Low amateur and Smyth Salver winner at AIG Women's Open (Aug. 4-7), Represented Team USA at World Amateur Team Championship (Aug. 24-27).
