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Tiger Woods was in awe of Rose Zhang after her incredible performance at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open. On Sunday, Zhang stunned everyone by beating Jennifer Kupcho in a playoff to earn her maiden professional victory. She became the first player in 72 years to win her debut event as an LPGA professional
The 20-year-old golfer decided to pursue a professional career after breaking most of the records as an amateur. Last Sunday, she defended her NCAA Individual Golf Championship title and soon announced that the Mizuho Americas Open would be her first tournament as an LPGA pro.
While everyone expected Rose Zhang to have a great professional career, no one would have thought that she would capture the title in her first event as a professional.
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Woods, who had also played for Stanford University, tweeted a congratulatory message and hailed Zhang for her achievement.
He wrote:
"Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title and then wins in her Pro debut. Go card!"
Last month, Zhang surpassed Tiger's record for most wins for Stanford University after defending her individual NCAA Division I championship title. This was her 12th win in 20 appearances. She had also become the first player to defend the individual NCAA Division I title.
"I honestly didn't even expect to make the cut" - Rose Zhang on her Mizuho Americas Open 2023 win
As per Rose Zhang, she didn't even expect to make a cut at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open, her maiden event as an LPGA pro. She prevailed over Jennifer Kupcho in the playoff at the Liberty National Golf Course on Sunday to claim her first professional win.
It's not as if Zhang was low on confidence, given her incredible records in amateur golf. The 20-year-old, however, likes to keep her expectations low and doesn't like to think about it much.
Zhang said after her win at Liberty National:
"I honestly didn't even expect to make the cut, and the reason why I say this is because I don't think about my expectations a lot.
"I think about playing the golf course. I think about trying to shoot the best score that I can. Obviously I have frustrations, disappointments with my game, but I never once think about where I finish, where I should finish, et cetera."
Zhang added that she didn't think much about winning and was just playing her game and having a good time.
"This is the game that I love, and I'm so thankful to be a professional doing it now."
Will Tiger Woods play the US Open 2023?
This year, Tiger Woods was featured in just two events. First was the Genesis Invitational, where he finished at T-45. Then he competed at the Augusta National, where he equaled Fred Couples and Gary Player's record of making 23 consecutive cuts. However, he withdrew from the fourth round due to the injury.
Tiger has been recovering from the subtalar fusion surgery he underwent in April, shortly after withdrawing from the Masters. He has been out of action since the Master's Tournament and has announced that he will not play in the US Open.
