Rose Zhang keeps adding to her collection of awards.
Zhang, a sophomore at Stanford from Irvine who is No. 1 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, earned the 2022 AmateurGolf.com Women’s Player of the Year Award, which is based on a point system from results through the year.
The 19-year-old Zhang already had claimed the ANNIKA Award, Curtis Cup team titles in 2021 and 2022 for the USA, three Mark H. McCormack medals, and gold medals at the 2019 Pan American Games, Spirit International, and 2022 World Amateur Team (Espirito Santo Trophy).
In addition, Zhang won her first three events as a freshman at Stanford on the way to winning the 2022 NCAA Women’s Championship by three strokes and leading the Cardinal to the NCAA Women’s Team Championship, and she claimed three more college titles this Fall at the start of her sophomore season for top-ranked Stanford.
“I do have goals, but they aren’t necessarily based on achievements or championships,” Zang told Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com. “They are more focused on my performance, daily life and character development, as opposed to winning a specific tournament. I focus on all of the little things on a daily basis that will help me be successful.”
When she won the NCAA Individual title, Zhang joined Pat Hurst of San Leandro and San Jose State (where she is now head coach) as the only players to win the U.S. Girls Jr., the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the NCAA individual championships. Tiger Woods is the only male player to win the U.S. Junior Boys Jr., the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA titles.
Last summer, Zhang played in some professional tournaments and made the cut in three of them, winning the Smyth Salver as low amateur in the AIG Women’s British Open at Muirfield Golf Club in Gullane, Scotland.
Zhang finished the year with 9,800 points in the AGC standings, with Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden and LSU second at 8,150, while Avari Avery of Riverside and USC had 5,900 points to tie for third with Rachel Kuehn of Asheville, N.C., and Wake Forest.
Previous winners of the AGC Women’s Player of the Year Award include Lydia Ko of New Zealand, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson of Canada, Danielle Kang, Leona Maguire of Ireland, Bronte Law of England, Gabriela Ruffels of Australia, Rachel Heck, Amanda Blumenhurst, Jennifer Chang and Kristen Gillman.
