If you think there were already big expectations on Rose Zhang, what’s a win in her very first LPGA start as a professional going to do? We’ll all see as the 20-year-old memorably claimed victory on Sunday at the Mizuho Americas Open, becoming the first woman to win in her very first start as a pro on the LPGA Tour since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Zhang, 20, didn’t make a birdie in the final round on Sunday at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey, with a bogey on the 72nd hole giving her a closing 74 and forcing her into a playoff with Jennifer Kupcho after posting a nine-under 279 total. But a par on the second extra hole earned the former college/amateur star claimed the title and a host of other spoils.

Instead of needing sponsor’s exemptions to play the rest of the summer, Zhang is now a full LPGA member and is also eligible to play for the US team in the Solheim Cup later this year.

The victory also came with a first-place prize money payout of $412,500 from an overall purse of $2.75 million. Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer who made the cut this week at Liberty National.

Win: Rose Zhang, -9, $412,500
2: Jennifer Kupcho, -9, $256,544
3: Hae Ran Ryu, -8, $186,104
T-4: Aditi Ashok, -7, $118,217
T-4: Ayaka Furue, -7, $118,217
T-4: Eun-Hee Ji, -7, $118,217
T-7: Yuka Saso, -6, $70,463
T-7: Leona Maguire, -6, $70,463
T-7: Ashleigh Buhai, -6, $70,463
T-10: Atthaya Thitikul, -5, $52,904
T-10: Stephanie Kyriacou, -5, $52,904
T-10: Danielle Kang, -5, $52,904
T-13: Cheyenne Knight, -4, $42,136
T-13: Madelene Sagstrom, -4, $42,136
T-13: Minjee Lee, -4, $42,136
T-13: Jin Young Ko, -4, $42,136
T-17: Esther Henseleit, -3, $34,271
T-17: Anna Nordqvist, -3, $34,271
T-17: Jenny Shin, -3, $34,271
T-17: Emily Kristine Pedersen, -3, $34,271
T-21: Carlota Ciganda, -2, $28,443
T-21: Charley Hull, -2, $28,443
T-21: Angel Yin, -2, $28,443
T-21: Yan Liu, -2, $28,443
T-21: Sei Young Kim, -2, $28,443
T-21: Andrea Lee, -2, $28,443
T-27: Lauren Coughlin, -1, $22,543
T-27: Maja Stark, -1, $22,543
T-27: Jaravee Boonchant, -1, $22,543
T-27: Megan Khang, -1, $22,543
T-27: Mel Reid, -1, $22,543
T-27: Mariajo Uribe, -1, $22,543
T-33: Nasa Hataoka, E, $17,651
T-33: Yuna Nishimura, E, $17,651
T-33: Georgia Hall, E, $17,651
T-33: Brooke M. Henderson, E, $17,651
T-33: Lydia Ko, E, $17,651
T-33: Alison Lee, E, $17,651
T-39: Ruoning Yin, +1, $14,327
T-39: Marina Alex, +1, $14,327
T-39: Chella Choi, +1, $14,327
T-39: Lucy Li, +1, $14,327
T-43: Allisen Corpuz, +3, $11,751
T-43: Grace Kim, +3, $11,751
T-43: Nanna Koerstz Madsen, +3, $11,751
T-43: In Kyung Kim, +3, $11,751
T-43: Bronte Law, +3, $11,751
T-43: Perrine Delacour, +3, $11,751
T-49: Albane Valenzuela, +4, $9,579
T-49: Stephanie Meadow, +4, $9,579
T-49: Amy Yang, +4, $9,579
T-49: Emma Talley, +4, $9,579
T-49: Maddie Szeryk, +4, $9,579
T-54: Gaby Lopez, +5, $8,427
T-54: Pornanong Phatlum, +5, $8,427
T-54: Jasmine Suwannapura, +5, $8,427
57: Frida Kinhult, +6, $7,866
58: Sarah Schmelzel, +7, $7,584
T-59: Sung Hyun Park, +8, $7,164
T-59: Lauren Hartlage, +8, $7,164
61: Hyo Joon Jang, +10, $6,883
62: Wichanee Meechai, +11, $6,741

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Rose Zhang has pulled off history. Again.

With a final-round 74, and then a par on the second hole a playoff to defeat Jennifer Kupcho at the Mizuho Americas Open, Zhang is the second player to win an LPGA title in her professional debut, joining Beverly Hanson, who won the 1951 Eastern Open.

Zhang made two bogeys and 16 pars during Sunday’s final round at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J. History was made, with the Statue of Liberty and New York City skyline in the background, when she rolled in her par putt on the second playoff hole.

What. A. Shot. ?

Rose Zhang knocks one close on the second playoff hole at Liberty National

Watch now on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/dc98bCIOed

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

In addition, Zhang earned an opportunity to accept LPGA membership with the victory, which the 20-year-old later made official shortly after closing out the win.

“What is happening,” Zhang said afterwards, still in shock. “To turn pro and come out here has just been amazing.”

Here’s what accepting her LPGA tour card Sunday means for Zhang:

• LPGA membership for the next two seasons.

• Eligible to be part of the 2023 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Zhang’s win earned her points for the next two Solheim Cup—this September in Spain and the 2024 Cup next September at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

• Begin accumulating CME points. Getting into the top 60 of the CME points list makes her eligible to play at the CME Group Tour Championship. Her 500 points from the victory moved Zhang ahead of major champion Hyo Joo Kim, who was in 18th at the start of the week with 497.9 points.

• Her $412,500 first-place check counts as official LPGA money.

• Officially enters the race for the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. The victory gives Zhang 150 points, trailing leader Hae Ran Ryu. Ryu finished third place on Sunday, a shot out of the playoff between Zhang and Kupcho.

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Zhang, 20, became only the second player to win her professional debut on the LPGA, joining Beverly Hanson, winner at the 1951 Eastern Open in the second year of the tour’s existence.

Zhang’s monumental win, coming only 13 days after she won the individual NCAA championship for the second time, marked the blazing beginning of the newest chapter on the LPGA under the watchful eye of the Statue of Liberty just off in the background. Zhang announced afterward that she did accept tour membership, one of the biggest perks of victory. That and the $412,500 first-place check.

The full Rose Zhang experience of humility can be encapsulated by the fact her only goal to start the week was to play on the weekend.

“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,” Zhang said Sunday night, her Mizuho Americas Open trophy sitting next to her full of roses.

“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, etc. So with that in my mind, the expectation for me winning did not even cross my mind. I was just playing my game. I was having a good time out there. This is the game that I love, and I’m so thankful to be a professional doing it now.”

Welcome to the LPGA Tour, Rose Zhang ? pic.twitter.com/de4aB9mDdp

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

The sudden-death playoff began on the 18th as the sun started to set, and Zhang said she felt similarly to the playoff she was in at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April. Across from her this time was a fellow ANWA winner in Kupcho, who seemed to have the momentum. The 26-year-old made up a five-stroke deficit to get into the playoff, and Zhang had just missed an eight-foot putt for the win in regulation.

However, both missed the fairway right, with Zhang in the sand and Kupcho in the fescue, setting up a chipping contest with both short of the green.

Zhang had a nearly identical putt to the one she missed from eight feet on the 18th to win on the 72nd hole. The California native responded, knocking the putt into the center of the cup to uproarious applause. Kupcho’s calm par putt from five feet extended the playoff, showing the poise of a three-time LPGA winner.

Yet Zhang’s best can hold up against anyone in the world and emerged on her second shot on the second playoff hole. Leaning in to see where her shot landed as the sun faded, Zhang’s 4-hybrid ended up inside 10 feet.

“The final shot on 18, the second shot, was one of the best shots that I’ve ever hit, especially with me being under pressure,” Zhang said.

Kupcho’s approach ended up on the front of the green, from outside 60 feet. Then, going for the lengthy birdie, Kupcho putted it off the green, resulting in a bogey, allowing Zhang to two-putt for the win.

Elsa

Unafraid of embracing the showmanship of a playoff battle, Zhang came to appreciate the gruelling Sunday.

“I can’t explain how great, how well written this whole day could have ended,” said Zhang, who shot 70-69-66-74 for a nine-under 279 total. “But that playoff definitely provided a little bit of flavour, some thrill for everyone, so hope you guys enjoyed the show.”

It allowed Zhang to win with a birdie-free 20 holes Sunday following a bogey-free 66 on Saturday. She had plenty of chances late to do so, with looks inside 15 feet on 12, 13 and 16. However, the short par-4 16th proved most painful, as her five-footer for birdie rattled around the left side of the cup and spun out, settling for par.

It felt like Zhang would pay the price for her missed birdie on the 17th—staring down a more challenging test than her multiple final exams next week at Stanford. Instead, she hit in the heart of the cup from 10 feet. The scrambling magic didn’t save her on the 18th, with an eight-foot par bid trickling over the right-hand side of the cup. Her bogey moved her to nine under, sending Zhang to a playoff.

Kupcho caught Zhang quickly despite trailing by five shots at the start of the day. The 2022 Chevron Championship winner went four under through her first seven holes following an eagle hole out on the par-4 seventh to surge to 10 under. Kupcho began the back nine at nine under and rallied to get into the playoff with an up-and-down from 75 yards on the 15th to save par. Her clean birdie looks on the 16th and 17th failed to drop, resulting in Kupcho finishing at nine under par.

Instead of focusing on the fact she didn’t win, Kupcho focused on the fact this is her first strong finish since her title at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational last July. The runner-up is Kupcho’s first top-10 finish in 21 starts.

“I’ll continue to work hard, and hopefully people can follow along.”

People will definitely follow along, Rose ? pic.twitter.com/o0aFcCDJVS

— LPGA (@LPGA) June 5, 2023

“It’s hard for me to not think about it, but, on this type of grass I’m always the best,” Kupcho said. “We’re starting to hit in this type of grass going forward, so I’m excited to see where the season goes.”

The spotlight, however, was all on Zhang, even before the Sunday sunrise.

Golf Channel, late Saturday, announced another hour of streaming coverage to catch more of Zhang’s final round. On the course, she had a male fan club following most of the week, which dubbed themselves the ‘Rose Buds.’ Zhang joked with her caddie, Jason Gilroyed, that she felt embarrassed from the enthusiasm.

After the victory, Zhang was asked about a congratulatory Twitter reaction from Tiger Woods. She was in shock. She’s been compared with other LPGA legends like Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko. She doesn’t believe she belongs in the same breath.

Instead of considering herself the next great LPGA talent, Zhang’s humility poured through as she reflected both on the week that happened and what lies ahead.

“I will say that this has been an incredible experience, but I have not seen anything thus far,” Zhang said. “Going forward I understand that there is going to be a lot of bumps in the road, and I’m expecting a lot of obstacles that I’ll have to uptake and uphold.

“But I think this is just the start. This is just a stepping stone. It’s crazy that this is my first win, first professional win already, but no doubt there is going to be a lot more things happening down the road. I’m just going to be continuing to learn inside the ropes.”

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The Mizuho Americas Open marks another dream realised for Michelle Wie West, who is serving as the host at his week’s newest LPGA Tour event at Liberty National. She’s helping set the bar for what week-to-week events can look like on the LPGA. Its $2,750,000 purse is the fifth-largest on tour of its non-majors, along with providing substantial off-course perks and a famed venue draped with the New York City skyline and the history of hosting the Presidents Cup in 2017.

“It’s been a dream come true for me,” Wie West said. “Always something that I dreamt doing since I was a little girl, since I was a junior. Just so, so honoured that Mizuho Americans has asked me to be the host of this event. Something that I thought would happen 10, 20 years from now, but it happened so fast and it’s amazing.”

The Mizuho Americas Open takes care of tour players on a level most other tournaments on the LPGA fail to match. They’re putting the field up at a hotel in New York, an expensive endeavour considering players pay for their housing most weeks. They’re being ferried back and forth across the Hudson River, just like the players were at the Presidents Cup, getting a chance to look up at the Statue of Liberty on their way to Liberty National.

“The players are being treated how they always should be, and hopefully we’ll create a ripple effect for other events,” Wie West said.

It’s one of many goals for the LPGA that the 33-year-old has in mind. Wie West developed a relationship with LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan throughout her recently finished two-year player director term. The two still consistently chat and maintain an open dialogue. Wie West’s time as a player director gave her a business sense of what the tour needs to do to close the pay gap between the LPGA and PGA Tour.

“There are so many areas we’re working on and I’m just lending a hand, an ear, whenever the tour or Mollie wants it,” Wie West said.

One way to start closing the gap is through the courses the LPGA plays. Wie West explained that the Masters is so successful of an event because even for those who’ve never played Augusta before, fans can picture some of the most iconic shots hit on each hole. She feels it’s a challenge when fans tune in to an LPGA event at a course they’ve never seen before.

Fitting, then, that the closing start of her playing career is at the US Women’s Open when the tour makes its first-ever major appearance at Pebble Beach this July, which has held the US Open six times. Wie West has only seen the back nine and has yet to practise much in the lead-up. The 2014 US Women’s Open winner snuck in a range session at Liberty National Sunday, beginning to prepare for competition one last time. Wie West plans to ramp it up when her hosting duties conclude this week.

Once Wie West puts the clubs away, it’s off to the races for the six-time winner’s goals of getting the LPGA and its players more recognition and support.

“It’s fun to have the time and the space in my mind to really go for it,” Wie West said. “Just feel really blessed.”

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It’s been a hectic four days for Rose Zhang, packing up bags from Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she successfully (and historically) defended her NCAA title last week, for Liberty National as she makes her professional debut at the LPGA’s Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey.

“Safe to say that the last 48 hours have been incredibly chaotic,” Zhang said on Tuesday as she prepares to play for pay for the first time. “I’m enjoying every moment and everyone has been treating me so well and gotten me through the ropes of professional golf a little bit.”

Zhang’s team celebrated the season last Friday, the day after her 20th birthday. The Stanford sophomore intends to finish her degree, so she also spent time completing her make-up quizzes, exams and essays. Then, Saturday, she flew to New Jersey.

Upon arriving at Liberty National, Zhang has soaked in every aspect of her professional debut in the early going, from talking with friends she grew up playing junior golf with to asking the press conference moderator what platforms they’d be streaming on.

“This is interesting,” Zhang said in awe as she looked around the room before taking questions.

It’s a new reality for a player who shared an Instagram post earlier in the day thanking her multitude of sponsors. While she’s shifting gears to the professional ranks, with eight starts already lined up this summer, including the remaining four majors of the season, the weight of expectations remains.

With her historic amateur career, Zhang was compared to Tiger Woods’ debut nearly 30 years ago and her ties to him by being a fellow Cardinal and represented by the same agency. Zhang explained she only intended to turn professional if she felt she conquered the collegiate level, which her 12 NCAA victories would certainly signal — along with a US Women’s Amateur and Augusta National Women’s Amateur title.

Her fellow Cardinal and amateur star in her own right, Michelle Wie West, believes in her immense talent. “I think she’s going to do great,” Wie West said. “I think she is a rock star and I cannot wait to see what she does on tour.”

Yet Zhang is trying to stay grounded, managing her own expectations while others are trying to predict her future.

“A lot of people do expect me to play well,” Zhang said. “They expect me to win. If I do win, they’re like: ‘Oh, she was supposed to.’ But I would say [that] I take it as a compliment. They think I have the ability to go out there and win every single time, so might as well just try and see if I can live up to those expectations.”

As for what Zhang wants to learn in 2023, she acknowledges she hopes to earn a tour card in her eight starts. That’s only possible with a win or the less-travelled road of finishing with the equivalent of a top 40 CME points year. Instead, she’s honing in on learning the challenges of the day-to-day life of an LPGA player.

“The struggles that a player has mostly pertains to the lifestyle and the entire dynamic of playing golf as a career rather than just a hobby,” Zhang said. “So I think I’ll be figuring out what time management really is, and how that would fare well with me.”

That learning journey begins with hitting her first shot Thursday.

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