JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — Two-time NCAA individual champion Rose Zhang made her professional debut and gave the LPGA what was expected and needed, a solid opening round in the Mizuho Americas Open that put her in position to wow women’s golf on one of its biggest stages.
The 20-year-old from Stanford who has dominated the women’s amateur rankings for more than two years shot a 2-under-par 70 on the Liberty National Golf Course in the shadow of New York. The California resident was five shots off the early lead held by Lauren Hartlage.
Aditi Ashok, the first woman from India on the tour, was at 5-under in the event. She has been considered by many as possibly the next great women’s player on tour.
“This was definitely a round that could have been better, and that kind of gets me excited to work on more and to develop my game even further,” Zhang said according to AP. “I felt like I left a couple shots out there, and I think there is a lot of room for improvement.”
There were also some shots that were great. On the par-5, No. 13, she chipped in from 29-yards, coming from below the hole and having the ball cross the length of the green before falling in the hole.
