“Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest player to exist” – LPGA sensation Rose Zhang ‘flabbergasted’ by people’s comparison of her with Woods
Rose Zhang short yet impressive career has become a big talk in the golf world. The two-time NCAA champion, who won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur sprung on to the professional golf scene by besting Woods’ record of 11 wins in 26 appearances, by 12 wins in 20 starts in college. The golfer has ever since been compared to Woods by the fans.
Zhang, who became the first golfer to win in her LPGA Tour debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951, has now come out to state that she’s ‘flabbergasted’ by people’s comparison of her with the PGA Tour superstar. Explaining her position, the young star said that “Woods is arguably the greatest player to exist” and added that she makes nothing much of the comparison.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News Digital, Rose Zhang said of people comparing her with Woods:
"When it first initially became a thing where Tiger and I were in the same conversation, it was almost hard to believe because Tiger is arguably the greatest player to exist. He completely modernized our game. It was such a high regard, and I was kind of flabbergasted by how people would compare me and him."
The 20-year-old rising star went on to state that she doesn’t let people’s comments get to her head. She added:
"Over time, it’s always something you hear, but it’s not something I really let into my mind on a daily basis. It’s more of kind of background noise where you hear the conversation; you acknowledge that it’s there, but it’s not necessarily a prominent part of how I live my life. And I guess that really helps because I can differentiate conversation and background noise versus reality and what I’m doing in the present."
It is pertinent to note that Zhang set high expectations for herself after winning her professional career debut. The young golfer bagged the Mizuho Americas Open trophy by beating Jennifer Kupcho in a playoff. The win was then applauded by Tiger Woods himself.
Giving the LPGA Tour’s breakout debutant a shout-out on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Woods wrote:
"Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title and then wins in her Pro debut. Go card!"
Rose Zhang wants her fans to follow her career to understand her personality
The 20-year-old golfer, in the interview with Fox News Digital, also opened up about her fast-growing celebrity life. The former college golf superstar noted that she wants her fans to follow her career to understand her real-life personality. Dubbing herself a “realistic and genuine person,” the young golfer stated that everything she does on the golf course is “authentic and genuine.”
Rose Zhang said:
"For people out there who follow along with me, I will say that I’d just like to let them know that I’m a pretty realistic and genuine person, player on and off the golf course. Everything I do on the golf course is authentic and genuine. Everything I do off the golf course is also who I am.
"I’m human. I’m trying my best to live my life with my career. And at the same time, I also want to work toward inspiring people around me, inspiring those that I care about, those who are younger, older, etc."
Coming off the back of a T44 finish at the AIG Women’s Open last week, Rose Zhang will be eyeing a strong performance this weekend at the ISPS World Invite. It’ll be interesting to see how the golfer fares in competition at the Galgorm Golf Club in Northern Ireland.