“I’m already in awe”: Tiger Woods playing his part in helping LPGA sensation Rose Zhang ‘balance’ her career and studies
Perhaps thanks partially to Tiger Woods, Rose Zhang is having a really strong year. The golf star is currently 35th in the Rolex LPGA Tour World Rankings. Combining a professional life with an academic one is not an easy feat. While some people get help from a variet of places, rarely does one get help from one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Woods has taken notice of the young golfer, who attended his alma mater. Zhang said via CNN:
“Honestly, anything that comes out of Tiger’s mouth and when he is directing it at you, I’m already in awe, I’m listening. He just said, ‘Congratulations, I’ve seen you on TV and couldn’t be more proud of you. Go, Card!’”
She went on to gush about the connection between her and the legendary golfer:
“It’s just incredible how he went to Stanford, too. I think that’s the little bond between us. But at the same time, Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods. He completely changed the game, modernized it, and I was really just happy to be in his presence and watch him play his practice round.”
Woods' advice may already be paying off. The golfer is primed to make her first Solheim Cup appearance:
“Nothing’s better, just because you’re representing your own country. You’re representing the red, white and blue. Being able to play against the best pros, alongside with the best pros, these are all experiences that I really wish to have going forward."
She added:
“It’s something different, so unique, so incredible. I will say that it’s the biggest honor that an athlete can have if they represent their country and play for the Stars and Stripes.”
Tiger Woods is a fantastic golfer and one of the game's best ever players. It's rare that someone like that would take time to help a golfer in an entirely different league, but Woods seems to have made an impact on Rose Zhang already.
Tiger Woods inspires Patrick Mahomes
Not only is Tiger Woods helping Rose Zhang become one of the best LPGA Tour golfers, he inadvertently helped Patrick Mahomes become one of the NFL's best-ever players.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback said on the Netflix show Quarterback via the Kansas City Star:
“Luckily enough for me, I’ve had a lot of great coaches that let me kind of be outside the box and really be who I am. And so whenever those moments do come up during the game, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done it. I’ve prepared for that. And I think that’s why it slows down (in a game).
"I think, if you look at golfers like Tiger Woods, I mean, he swung those swing so many times that he knows exactly how to swing and hit the shot perfectly in that exact spot.”
Woods inspired Mahomes, who has quickly become an all-time great in the NFL. Thanks to Woods' relentless work ethic, Mahomes has morphed into a two-time MVP and two-time Super Bowl winner, who still has a ways to go to match up with the legendary golfer.