2023 U.S. Women’s Open: Already with a Pebble Beach record, Rose Zhang looks to do the remarkable again

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Rose Zhang has a vivid memory of the last time she played Pebble Beach Golf Links, prior to this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.

It was during the Carmel Cup in September 2022, when she was still at Stanford.

“We saw a dog trying to chase a seal for like a good 40 minutes [on the fourth hole],” Zhang said Tuesday. “We were just watching an owner screaming at its dog and just trying to get that dog to come back. So, a lot of good memories on that hole. It helps that I was birdieing, so …”

Yeah, in addition to the frisky canine, Zhang shot 9-under 63 in the second round of that event.

Dog yapping at seal, indelible. Setting the women’s scoring record at Pebble Beach, “a little bit of a blur,” she said.

To be fair, accomplishing the remarkable is almost routine for Zhang. Following her historic collegiate career, she won in her maiden LPGA event as a pro and then nearly followed that with a major victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA.

It’s been a long two weeks since then.

Zhang, like many Americans, has had some terrible tales of travel: sitting around in airports and hotels, changing flights, catching Ubers.

She said she was able to relax a little and spend time with family, and work on her game.

But more so than her putting or her wedges, Zhang told of a broader focus: “Conservation of energy.”

“As a professional you do need to learn how to conserve your energy,” she said.

For Zhang, that is a huge, umbrella statement.

Conserving energy means finding more fairways so that you’re not playing tougher shots out of the rough; hitting more greens so that you’re not scrambling to get up and down; hitting shots closer to the hole so that you’re not concerned about lag putting; lagging putts closer to the hole so that you’re not worried about 4-footers.

It also means staying as organized as possible with all the off-course demands. It means not stressing when things don’t go as planned. It means not setting expectations too high, lest you open the door wider for failure.

Full-field tee times from the U.S. Women’s Open

Zhang doesn’t entertain best-case scenarios. She will occasionally think about, what’s the worst that could happen, which, she said Tuesday regarding her pro debut, was shooting 80 “or maybe duffing a shot, being the worst shot of all-time.”

Of course, she won.

Before the Mizuho Americas Open there was a burgeoning public interest in Zhang. Follow the victory, it blew up.

The 20-year-old was beset by national media requests. Even Tuesday, with no ticketed public allowed on the course, Zhang was still the center of attention. She appeared on Golf Channel’s “Live From” set, then made her way to her pre-championship presser, then was stopped for sidebar questions, then did a video interview. All before her afternoon practice round with, among others, Michelle Wie West.

Wie West, who hosts the LPGA tournament Zhang won, knows well the demands Zhang faces. Both players agree that being part of the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) environment in college helped transition Zhang to the professional ranks.

But Wie West, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion, sees something special in Zhang. “She’s got it,” Wie West said Tuesday. “She’s incredibly poised and has that inner confidence, that inner, silent confidence in her that is just so incredible, and she is a real competitor.”

She also has the respect and appreciation of her new peers. While it’s easy to assume there would be a level of jealousy over a newbie receiving so much attention (even if well earned), Zhang said that is not the case.

“Everyone in the locker rooms have been super kind to me. There is absolutely no bad blood there. I’ve just been really thankful that they’ve welcomed me to the tour. Everyone – they’ve just been saying, welcome, congratulations, and I’m excited to just spend time with you for the rest of the season,” Zhang said.

“That really provides me a lot of comfort because everyone is just so great and I’ve really appreciated their support and just genuine appreciation for what I’ve been doing.”

Which is what she’s long been doing – making the remarkable seem routine.

As Zhang was talking with assembled media about her thoughts on Pebble Beach and her approach to this week, especially the differences between that record 63 in a collegiate event and the setup for a professional major, Zhang noted that the course would play longer, the rough would be thicker and the greens would be faster.

And then, as if she had forgotten, Zhang stated that, oh yeah, she hit all 18 greens in regulation during that 63.

She didn’t even realize it that day. Her coach had to tell her.