Rose Zhang is set become the most inexperienced pro golfer ever to appear in the Solheim Cup, with Stacy Lewis ready to welcome the wonder rookie to Team USA for the match against Europe in September.
Three weeks ago, Zhang became the first player to win on her pro debut on the LPGA Tour since 1951 and all eyes will be on the 20-year-old in Thursday’s first round of the Women PGA at Baltusrol.
The organisers are sending Zhang out in a marquee three ball featuring Minjee Lee and Lexi Thompson — the world Nos 5 and 9 respectively — and the bookies rate her as the third most likely to win the season’s second major.
US captain Lewis would not be at all shocked to see the Californian phenomenon finish, at the very, least high enough to help her make the team by right with record-breaking haste.
“Rose is moving up the Rolex [World] Rankings so fast that I think she could potentially end up sneaking into the Rolex spots and not even need one of my three picks,” Lewis said at the New Jersey course. “That’s just how good she is and anyone who’s followed college golf knew that this win straight out of the gate was no surprise at all.”
Zhang’s success in the Mizuho Americas Open — where she fended off major winner Jennifer Kupcho down the stretch — saw her leap from 252nd to the brink of the world’s top 60. It also made her eligible for the Solheim Cup and, despite her greenness in the paid rankings, Lewis indicated that she would be prepared to hand her a wildcard if required.
“Look, Rose was more on my radar for the 2023 match because I knew she needed a win to be able to play in this match in Spain,” Lewis said. “But then she won and I’ve texted her a little bit. I needed her to try some [Solheim] clothes on and stuff like that. But I’ve tried to leave her alone, and not bug her too much, because I know things have been crazy for her. I said we could talk more after Pebble [Beach, which hosts the US Women’s Open in two weeks’ time].”
Lewis got to know Zhang when captaining the US at the Spirit International Amateur Championships in Houston. As the record-breaking amateur world No 1, Zhang guided America to the gold and took the individual honours herself.
“Rose shot 10-under for three days, won by two or three, and if you had watched her play, you’d probably say she played bad by her standards!” Lewis said. “It was very impressive with her demeanour and the way she carries herself. As Solheim captain, I’m excited. I’ve been following her, and now obviously I’m following her even more closely.”
Zhang’s performances at Baltusrol and at Pebble could be critical to her chances of lining up against Suzann Pettersen’s Euros at Finca Cortesin, the Costa del Sol layout where the home side will be trying to win an unprecedented third match in succession.
“These two events are so important just because it’s so close to Solheim and it’s about who’s trending in the right direction,” Lewis said. “To me, majors are your best example to answer the question, ‘How do they play under pressure?’”
