Augusta, GA
Inside Rose Zhang’s near-collapse — and eventual triumph — at Augusta National
Rose Zhang celebrates after successful the ANWA.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rose Zhang refused to stop.
With all of the adversity she confronted on Saturday at Augusta Nationwide, nobody would’ve blamed her if she did. Her swing was out of types. There was a three-hour climate delay through the center of the spherical. The perfect gamers in novice golf had her of their sights. And she or he had the burden of expectations — from the skin and inside — on her shoulders.
Regardless of all of it, the Stanford sophomore stood tall and weathered all of it, swing by gutsy swing, to emerge victorious on the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner.
“To beat all the pieces,” stated Zhang, who shot a final-round 76. “I’m simply tremendous grateful to be right here.”
With the win, Zhang put an exclamation level on probably the most embellished novice careers of all time.
For a lot of the day, although, that didn’t seem like it could be the case.
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Augusta Nationwide has an urge for food for heartbreak.
Roberto DeVicenzo in 1968. Scott Hoch in 1989. Greg Norman in 1996. Rory McIlroy in 2011. Jordan Spieth in 2016. All had career-changing titles of their grasp, and all fell sufferer to the pressures that come from competing right here.
For parts of Saturday afternoon, it appeared like Zhang would add her title to that unlucky checklist.
When the Stanford sophomore arrived for her tee time shortly earlier than 9 a.m., the ANWA was hers to lose. Rounds of 66 and 65 at Champions Retreat gave her a five-shot lead. She’d made only one bogey over 36 holes. She’d received her final 4 occasions in a row. And, because the No. 1-ranked participant on the planet, one other victory appeared imminent. However as Augusta Nationwide has proven us so many occasions earlier than, nothing is assured.
It didn’t take lengthy for Zhang to be reminded of that reality as nicely. She pushed her opening tee shot into the cavernous bunker on the appropriate facet of the green after which three-putted for a shaky double. Identical to that, her lead was down to a few.
“I felt just like the benefit disappeared after gap 1,” she stated. “I simply knew that on this golf course, a five-shot lead will not be sufficient. A ten-shot lead will not be sufficient. Each single gap mattered. You possibly can simply triple any gap on this golf course.”
Zhang prevented any disastrous triple bogeys, however she was removed from a cruise-controlled killer. She performed the primary 9 — that includes a three-hour rain delay — in four-over 40 and turned to the treacherous again 9 along with her lead trimmed to 2.
“It’s at all times tough to have such an enormous lead, particularly on such a prestigious stage,” Zhang stated. “I simply felt like my swing wasn’t comfy.”
Augusta Nationwide will not be the place to lose your swing. And though the 19-year-old discovered it once more on Amen Nook, her once-comfortable lead was lower to 1 halfway via the again 9.
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The again 9 par-5s at Augusta Nationwide are glimmering with alternative, but rife with disaster. Play them nicely, and birdies (and eagles) abound. Play them poorly, and your likelihood at glory can vanish. When Zhang performed the fifteenth through the remaining spherical, it appeared as if she would fall sufferer to the latter.
Clinging to a two-shot lead within the remaining pairing, Zhang put herself into a gorgeous place off the tee. She had simply over 230 yards into the inexperienced and, after debating along with her father/caddie, Haibin, she opted to go for the inexperienced.
As quickly because the ball left the clubface, she knew she’d made a mistake. Her ball by no means threatened the placing floor, ending within the water in need of the opening.
“It wasn’t the neatest resolution,” Zhang stated.
The following bogey lower her result in one. Moments later, Jenny Bae holed a birdie putt on the seventeenth to tug right into a tie for the lead.
For the primary time all week, Zhang’s title was not alone atop the leaderboard.
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Within the group forward of Zhang, Jenny Bae was mounting her cost. She made three birdies between holes 9 and 17, and as she stepped to the 18th tee, she was tied for the lead.
“I don’t suppose I’ve ever felt happier on a golf course that a lot in my life,” Bae stated. “I’ve by no means heard such large yelling on a golf course. It simply felt superb.”
After a par on the 18th, Bae walked to the scoring space and awaited her destiny. As Zhang performed the 18th gap, she joked along with her father and hydrated with electrolytes. Whereas Zhang was reeling, Bae was beaming. Her nine-under complete represented the clubhouse lead, and if Zhang made another mistake, the title could be hers.
That mistake would by no means materialize. After the miscue at 15, Zhang parred all the way in which dwelling. For the second time in ANWA historical past, a playoff could be wanted to find out a champion.
After the duo every parred the primary playoff gap (No. 18), they each break up the green on No. 10 with wonderful appears to be like on the inexperienced. Zhang performed first and fired her shot onto the inexperienced — full with a “Be good!” bark — to place the stress on Bae.
For the primary time all day, the College of Georgia product made a crucial mistake. She tugged her iron lengthy and left of the inexperienced, finally discovering her ball nestled within the pine straw beneath a bush. And when her Hail Mary punch skittered throughout the inexperienced and into the bunker, Zhang wanted simply two putts to safe victory.
“After that little putt went in, it was only a sense of reduction,” Zhang stated.
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That reduction was seen as Zhang entered the interview room. After hugging her father on the tenth inexperienced, celebrating along with her Stanford teammates, and going via the trophy ceremony, her solely remaining obligation was to talk with the media.
“Having the ability to play competitively at Augusta Nationwide is actually totally different from some other venue that I’ve performed in,” Zhang stated. “So I at all times knew that Augusta Nationwide is a battle, and I see quite a lot of work that I can enhance on, which is much more nice as a result of it actually exhibits how Augusta Nationwide is a real testomony to our recreation.”
Zhang is true in that regard. Augusta Nationwide is totally different than some other area in golf. It’s not solely a check of your recreation, it’s a check of your resilience.
On the Augusta Nationwide Ladies’s Beginner, that has by no means been extra obvious.
