SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Ahead of her first tee shot at the Paris Olympics, Rose Zhang penned a letter from Paris, reflecting on how far she’s come since she was a little girl hitting balls off a mat in the desert dirt in a wide-open construction area in Southern California.
“I’m excited to compete – to show the world who I am,” she wrote. “I will always be that little girl hitting balls into the desert, but the person I am now is so much more than that, too. And I can’t wait for you all to meet her.”
Well, get ready, world, because if you don’t know her name by now, it looks like this 21-year-old, two-time LPGA Tour winner could be on her way to Olympic glory.
While there are still 18 holes to go, Zhang put herself in prime position to step onto the medal podium thanks to a 5-under 67 on Friday that put her in a tie for second place at 7 under, just two shots behind co-leaders Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux. She did so in dramatic fashion as well, carding two eagles at 14 and 18 in a five-hole finishing stretch that also included a double bogey at 15.
“I think especially on this golf course, you can't put yourself too ahead of what's in front of you,” Zhang said. “Especially with how conditions played today – it played pretty difficult. You really just have to make sure that you hit your fairways, you hit your greens, and if opportunity allows you, try to make some putts. But other than that, that's all you can do.”
Perhaps that’s not all she can do. Zhang has endeared herself to the fans and media with her honest assessments and thoughtful demeanor, and her recent essay for The Players’ Tribune was just another way to showcase what a delight the 441-day-old professional is all about.
“(The essay) definitely gave me an opportunity to just showcase who I am and who I am before a tournament, after the tournament, during it,” said Zhang, who is still taking classes to finish her Stanford degree. “Sometimes people only see the actual competition, but we are all people, and I think we can all be voices of inspiration or just relatability to anyone.
“It's basically the same. I'm still me.”
Also staying true to herself was USA teammate and defending gold medalist Nelly Korda, who also moved herself into contention following her second consecutive round of 2-under 70. She stands five shots behind the leaders, but the reigning world No. 1 took comfort in the fact that none other than USA’s Scottie Scheffler was in a similar position ahead of his final round in the Olympic men’s competition and walked away with gold.
“I'm giving myself a chance,” she said as the leaders were finishing their round. “As of right now, I think I'm four back, so anything can happen. Scottie was (four) back … and he ended up winning.”
Korda pointed to the tougher, windier conditions as a challenge out of the gate Friday, and she dropped two shots early with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 3. But she battled back with birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 9 to turn at 1 under, hitting a mid-round goal of making the turn under par. She followed up with two more birdies at 14 and 15 before giving one back with a three-putt bogey at 17.
“It's tough out here,” she added. “Like the wind is blowing a lot more than it has been. These fairways are tight. I mean, you're starting it over rough and you're hoping to get a good bounce even on the fairway. So I'm happy with the way that the day played out after the start that I had.
“Obviously, I wish I could take 17 back but I can't. I have six three-putts this week, and that's just the reality. I'm not going to be sad about it. I'm just going to go to the putting green right now and try to bounce back tomorrow.”
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