After notching another top-10 major finish at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links, rookie Rose Zhang got right back at it at this week’s Dana Open, carding a flawless, 5-under 66 on Thursday. The 20-year-old made five birdies, including two sets of back-to-back birdies on holes 3, 4, 10 and 11, hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in round one. The 66 ties her lowest score on the LPGA Tour since her win at the Mizuho Americas Open – Zhang also shot 66 in the third round – and when asked about her first impressions of Highland Meadows Golf Club, Zhang was complimentary of the venue despite its unfamiliarity, not surprising considering her first-round performance.
“I love it out here. I think the course is playing fantastic,” said Zhang, who is making her Dana Open debut this week. “Everything is very pure from the greens to the tee. I think one word I would use to describe this course would be "lush." It's just a very solid venue for the LPGA pros out here to not only try to play well but also test their game. Hopefully, the next couple of days I can do the same thing and try to stripe a couple more putts, hit it as close to the hole as I can.”
Zhang credited her putting as the reason for her low score on day one in Sylvania, Ohio, and her ability to roll the rock has been one of the statistical keys to her recent good play. According to KPMG Performance Insights, she was eighth in strokes gained putting at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a statistic that propelled her up the leaderboard and into a share of eighth on Sunday at Baltusrol Golf Club. But Zhang has also been striking it well, ranking sixth in strokes gained off-the-tee and seventh in strokes gained tee-to-green at the U.S. Women’s Open en route to a T9 finish.
Coming to an event that tends to see winners go deep into double digits from a pair of majors where par is a good score, Zhang isn’t too worried about having to go deep into the red. She knows that if she just focuses on what she can control and works to play her best, it will be good enough to hoist another trophy come Sunday.
“I think the game of golf, pars are never bad. When you're out here you do have to make sure that you're giving yourself as many birdie opportunities as possible. So just making sure that I'm putting the ball where I need to in the fairway, on the green, and then trying to give myself those chances I think is the most crucial,” said Zhang. “I've played in collegiate events this year. A lot of events require a lot of races to quote-unquote 20-under par. That dynamic I'm very familiar with, so anyone coming from behind can play well, anyone in the lead can continue to play well. Being sure I'm doing my own thing and playing well is basically what I'm trying to do.”
And she will be heavily relying on her caddie, Jason Gilroyed, to point her in the right direction at Highland Meadows, a course she’d never before laid eyes on until this week. “I haven't seen this golf course before, so this is my first time around this track,” said Zhang. “My caddie, Gilly, has been here over 26 years, so he's seen a good bit of the golf courses and seen it before its renovation, after its renovation. Having someone pretty experienced makes me feel rest assured that I can go wherever I need to and have a good game plan while I'm at it. For tournaments like these, the scores are low and all the players are the best in the world, so you bet they're going to be hitting targets and making putts.”
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