Rose Zhang of Irvine captured the 120th United States Women’s Amateur Championship, beating defending champion Gabriela Ruffels of Australia and USC in a stunning finish on the 38th hole at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.
The scheduled 36-hole match seemed headed for a third playoff hole when Ruffels’ three-foot par putt incredibly lipped out, and the logest U.S. Women’s Am in 54 years stunningly was over.
“I just expected her to make it,” the 17-year-old Zhang, who nearly didn’t play in the tournament because of a wrist injury, said of the missed putt. “You know, actually the pin, where they placed it today, there’s a lot of break that I didn’t even read from this morning, so that putt was—it seemed easy, but to be honest, it actually wasn’t, especially under the pressure.
“ … I was going to withdraw because my coach was actually really mad at me for coming here. And I was like, ‘No, it’s OK, I’ll just rest it,’ not play for 10 days before the tournament. And then, you know, here I am.”
Said Ruffels, 20, of the final putt: “You can’t take any putt for granted out here. These greens are crazy fast, and that did have a little break to it. I was playing it outside of the hole. I actually hit it on my line, it’s just kind of a heartbreak seeing it horseshoe out.”
Ruffels, who was trying to become the 12th woman and fifth since World War II to repeat as champion in the U.S. Women’s Open, jumped out to a 2-up lead in the first four holes of the morning 18, before Zhang turned things around and had a 2-up lead of her own after 17 holes until Ruffels cut the lead by winning at No. 18.
Ruffels regained the lead by winning holes 20 and 21 in the afternoon and the momentum seemed to be turning against Zhang, a senior at Pacific Academy who has committed to Stanford.
However, Zhang jumped back ahead by winning the next two holes with birdies.
“Winning those two holes was huge,” said Zhang, whose many junior victories include the 2019 Rolex Tournament of Champions. “That gave me a chance to recover after losing the previous two holes. It allowed me to regain the momentum.”
The players went back-and-forth the rest of the way, with neither gaining more than a 1-up lead.
Zhang seemed to be in trouble on the 36th hole before hitting a brilliant shot from the rough about 100 yards away to within two feet for a par, and then generously conceded Ruffels’ four-foot par putt.
She did not concede the shorter one on the 38th hole and the match ended shockingly and suddenly.
“Rose was one of the toughest opponents,” said Ruffels, who will return to USC for her senior year. “She never let the door open. Like she was dead straight down the middle, hits greens. What a good player. Her wedge game is amazing, putting is amazing. She’s so solid. I can’t believe she’s only 17. All credit to her.”
Said Zhang: “Winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur means the world to me. To have my name on the trophy with the best players of all-time is life-changing for me. It’s a dream come true.”
In the semifinals, Zhang defeated Alyaa Abdulghany of Malaysia and USC, 2 and 1, while Ruffels got past Valery Plata of Colombia, also by 2 and 1.
Zhang joins an illustrious group of champions that includes Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Babe Didrikson, Louise Suggs, Margaret Curtis, Glenna Collett, Joanne Gunderson Carner, Laura Baugh, Carol Semple, Beth Daniel, Juli Inkster, Deb Richard, Kay Cockerill, Pearl Sinn, Vicki Goetze, Pat Hurst, Amy Fruhwith, Jill McGill, Wendy Ward, Kelli Kuehne, Grace Park, Dorothy Delasin, Jane Park, Morgan Pressel, Jennifer Song, Amanda Blumenherst, Emma Talley and Danielle Kang.
For complete results, visit https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2020/u-s–women-s-amateur.html#!scoring
