American star Rose Zhang will be one of the players to watch when she makes her third AIG Women’s Open appearance and first as a professional at Walton Heath Golf Club this week.
Turning professional in late May after an illustrious amateur career, Zhang wasted no time in making a huge impact on the LPGA Tour. The 20-year-old won in her first start as a professional at the Mizuho Americas Open in June and went on to chalk up top-10 finishes in three Majors, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, US Women’s Open and Amundi Evian Championship.
Zhang won the Smyth Salver as best amateur at last year’s AIG Women’s Open, finishing joint 28th at Muirfield in Scotland. Having been granted a special exemption by The R&A to this year’s championship, Zhang modestly noted that her target is to make the cut and play all four rounds.
“I think playing weekends at major championships is so amazing, such a cool experience,” said Zhang in an interview on aigwomensopen.com.
“When I’m at the AIG, I feel like I will definitely be trying to prepare myself for the weather and the difficulty of the golf course, but these venues are all so special and the fact that I can travel to these places is something that I’m very blessed to have,” added the Californian.
Zhang hopes to see plenty of young fans and newcomers to golf at this year’s championship, which boasts an enhanced spectator experience including a festival fan village and a concert by English pop star Ellie Goulding.
“It will be really fun to go out there and see new people bringing their kids out. It’s just a fun time to bring everyone together and introduce people to the sport,” said Zhang.
“I think for all the women, all the young kids that want to come into golf, you get to meet new people and you get to put yourself out there. I think there is a lot of innovation that can happen with everyone entering the sport, and I just want to serve as someone who can potentially bring more people into the game and spread more awareness of the women’s game,” she elaborated.
Zhang herself was only nine years old when she first picked golf using one of her father’s clubs. “I was very athletic as a kid, so I tried every sport. I ultimately just fell in love with the game.
“I’m naturally competitive but I think for me to test my abilities against myself and just keep practicing individually, it really intrigued me and I loved whacking golf balls, so I just kept doing it. And I’m still doing it!”
Golf fans in Malaysia can watch the AIG Women’s Open ‘live’ on SPOTV (Astro Channel 816).
