"It was such a blast to see my shots" - 20 yo Rose Zhang chases second LPGA Tour victory at 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup just a year after turning pro
Rose Zhang will enter the final round of the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup just one stroke behind the third-round leader, Madelene Sagstrom. She has been impressive with her game at the ongoing LPGA Tour event, which started on Thursday, May 9.
Rose Zhang shot a round of 67 on Saturday to take solo second spot on the leaderboard. After struggling with her game this season, Zhang finally bounced back at this week's event.
Following the round on Saturday, the 20-year-old golfer opened up about her performance while talking to the media. She is happy with her game, and while talking about it, Zhang said she was satisfied.
Speaking about her performance, Zhang said (via SB Nation):
“It’s honestly so nice — finally saw some putts drop. I think it was such a blast to see my shots and be able to hit whatever I could and commit to everything. Seeing it come to fruition leaves me very satisfied. No matter what happens tomorrow, I have this little spark of I’ve got some good rounds in competitively, and I can move forward with that.”
Rose Zhang started her 2024 LPGA Tour season at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, where she finished in a tie for seventh place, followed by a T22 finish at the First Hills Seri Pak Championship.
Although Zhang had a decent start this season, she struggled in a few tournaments. Zhang missed the cut at the Ford Championship but played fairly well at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, where she tied for fifth place.
But Zhang missed the cut at The Chevron Championship, followed by a tie for 32nd place at the JM Eagles LA Championship presented by Plastpro.
Rose Zhang has been making the headlines since starting her professional career in 2023. She won her debut LPGA Tour event at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open and is now looking to win her second title at this week's Cognizant Founders Cup.
A look at Rose Zhang's performance at Cognizant Founders Cup 2024
After struggling with her game in the initial part of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, Rose Zhang had a good start at the Cognizant Founders Cup, which got underway with its inaugural round on Thursday, May 9. She shot a bogey-free round on the first day.
Zhang made nine birdies to score 63. She maintained her composure in the second round as well and started the game with two back-to-back birdies. The 20-year-old added another birdie on the fifth hole and then on the seventh. On the back nine, she scored a birdie on the 12th and a bogey on the 16th to settle for a score of 68.
In the tournament's third round on Saturday, Zhang shot seven birdies and just two bogeys to score 67 and settled in solo second position on the leaderboard. Madelene Sagstrom took the lead in the game with a score of under 19. The tournament is scheduled for its fourth and final round on Sunday, May 12.