It looked like the improbable was going to happen for Rose Zhang coming down the stretch at Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course, but a late bogey on the par-3, 16th hole dropped her out of the running at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the 20-year-old finished in a tie for eighth in her first major championship as a professional. While she would've loved to be hoisting her second trophy in her second LPGA Tour start as a pro, Zhang still chalked the week up as a major success and plans to use what she learned about herself and her game this week in Springfield, N.J. in her next major start at Pebble Beach.
"I felt so much support and love from the crowds out here. It's really cool that I was here in New Jersey at Mizuho the last couple weeks, and now I'm here at my first major. Safe to say it's super special, and I took it all in for sure," said Zhang, who recorded a 4-under 67 in the final round. "To be fair, the first week at Mizuho, it felt a little bit surreal. I didn't feel like I was a professional. I was straight-up coming from NCAAs, and it was kind of just a trial run in my opinion.
"I didn't really have any expectations. Even this week I didn't have any sort of expectations on myself, but at the same time, I wanted to see where my game ended up with the professionals and to see if I can able to be in contention on a good day, on a bad day, et cetera. It's really cool to see that my game is there, and I just have to work a little extra harder to play better."
Though she may not have played exactly up to her standards, Zhang still got around pretty well, as three of her four total rounds were under par, and she recorded 14 birdies and an eagle this week. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Zhang made 209 feet of putts in rounds three and four, 63 more than the first two rounds, an easy explanation for the late fire she found in the last 36 holes. Still, the 20-year-old will leave Baltusrol feeling like she has some things to work on and will use the upcoming off week to iron out the almost indiscernible kinks as she prepares for the first U.S. Women's Open of her professional career.
"I would say I'm content with the result. I'm not content with how I played. I'm really satisfied with my overall performance, but there's little mistakes that I made that you just can't really afford to make," said Zhang. "I learned a lot, especially with (Jason Gilroyed) on my bag. It's definitely a different dynamic when you're a professional versus an amateur, and when you're playing your game, you really have to be precise with your numbers, really understand what your swing is doing. There is no room for error. I'm excited to keep working on my game and make sure that it's pristine when I go to the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble."
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