Rose Zhang adds another award to her impressive resume

When she left the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club last summer, it seemed all but certain that Rose Zhang would turn pro. Her freshman season was one for the record books, and she ended with two NCAA titles (individuals and team) and legendary status.

But while the golfing world expected the phenomenon to take her talent to the pros, Zhang had other plans.

A few weeks later at the US Women’s Open, the 19-year-old made a startling announcement – she would retain her amateur status and return to Stanford for another season.

“It’s always been the plan — I’ve always wanted to stay for at least a few years before I make up my mind,” Zhang said at the time. “Another year won’t hurt anyone. I’m really looking forward to seeing and doing more things at Stanford.”

Zhang picked up right where she left off in Year #2 in Palo Alto. As of mid-spring season, she already has five singles wins, bringing her collegiate career to nine overall. That win total ties her at the top of the Stanford record books with LPGA pro Andrea Lee — and there’s little reason to doubt she’ll surpass that number any time soon.

Zhang, who has now almost certainly driven to the second Annika Award in a row, has added another award to her impressive resume. With this week’s update of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, runner-up has officially surpassed Lydia Ko’s record for most consecutive weeks at number 1. Zhang has now been the world’s highest-ranked amateur for 131 straight weeks, the longest streak in both men’s and women’s rankings.

If she can stay at No. 1 for five more weeks, Zhang will also surpass Leona Maguire at No. 1 for most total weeks at 136 weeks.

With the Augusta National Women’s Amateur just weeks away, Zhang will have yet another opportunity to add some hardware to her trophy room. She famously led the tournament deep into the finals two years ago before a triple bogey from Amen Corner dashed her hopes.

“It would be absolutely amazing,” she said of the possibility of redemption in Augusta. “Just play in [the ANWA] is part of the story. Having your name on the trophy would be even better.”

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com editor

Zephyr Melton is Associate Editor at GOLF.com, where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, he attended the University of Texas, followed by stints with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists in all areas of instruction, covering amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.