Rose Zhang in Full Bloom for U.S. Women’s Open

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For those who believe in omens, history hints that the 79th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at Lancaster Country Club could be a special week for Rose Zhang. Lancaster, Pa., is, after all, known as The Red Rose city, named after the House of Lancaster, which engaged in the 15th Century War of the Roses for control of the English crown. 

And then there is Zhang’s personal history in USGA championships. This Rose won the crown in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior as well as being on the winning USA team in the 2021 and 2022 Curtis Cup. Those are jewels in an amateur resume that also includes the NCAA individual championship in 2022 and 2023 and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

And if Zhang is looking to add to her personal history, she’s come to the right place. Lancaster is literally older than America. It was part of the Penn’s Woods Charter of William Penn in 1681 and during the American Revolution served as capital of the United States for one day. 

More recent history was made in 2015 when Lancaster Country Club was the site of the U.S. Women’s Open won by In Gee Chun and set a weekly attendance record for the championship.

Now Zhang comes into Lancaster looking to add to her already impressive legacy. To win a third different USGA championship would put her in a select group with only six other players who’ve done that: JoAnne Carner, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Carol Semple Thompson, Tiger Woods and Jill McGill. 

And there is every reason to think that Zhang is up to the task. Rose, who turned 21 on May 24, has shown remarkable poise in the spotlight. 

On May 26 last year, she turned professional following 12 victories at Stanford University, breaking a school record held by Woods. A year ago this week, Zhang played her first event on the LPGA Tour as a professional and won, the first to win in her debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Zhang picked up her second LPGA victory earlier this month and in her first 12 months as a pro has made 22 LPGA starts with two victories, eight top-10 finishes and has climbed to No. 7 in the Rolex Rankings, positioning herself nicely to represent the United States in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. 

Her seamless transition to the professional game despite continuing to take a full course load at Stanford University has been as much of a learning experience outside the classroom as in it.

“Getting used to traveling around the world on the LPGA Tour,” she said when asked the biggest adjustment. “I’m responsible for planning out my weeks: Travel, practice schedules, sponsor commitments. While I am still a student for a portion of the year, it’s been quite the adjustment not being on campus with my friends and teammates,” Zhang said.

“I’ve learned to accept and learn from each week’s results and efforts; prioritizing time and my health as I'm playing at the highest level,” she said.

Part of the learning process is adjusting to new venues, one of which is this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

“I’ve never played Lancaster Country Club but have heard amazing things and remember watching In Gee win there,” Zhang said. “Very excited to be there next week, as I have heard the crowds are supposed to be incredible.”

This is Zhang’s fourth appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open, missing the cut in 2021, finishing T40 in 2022 and T9 last year at Pebble Beach, her first major championship as a professional. Later in 2023, she was top-10 in two other LPGA majors, finishing T8 in the KPMG Women’s PGA and T9 in the Evian Championship.

But USGA championships hold a special place in Zhang’s heart.

“It's such an honor to be able to compete in USGA championships,” Zhang said. “I have great memories competing over the years and winning some of the most prestigious championships in our game.  They are always set up to challenge the best players in the world and crown a deserving champion.”

If Zhang wins in Lancaster at the age of 21 she would become the youngest player to capture three different USGA championships. Palmer and Nicklaus, who both won the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open, got their third in the U.S. Senior Open. McGill won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links then got her third in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. 

Thompson won the U.S. Women’s Amateur, the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur twice and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open four times. Carner was 32 when she added the first of her two U.S. Women’s Opens championship to the U.S. Girls Junior and five U.S. Women’s Amateurs.

Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Amateur three times each and made the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach the first of his three victories in that championship at the age of 24. So that is another Tiger record Rose can break.

Zhang fully understands – and appreciates – the aura that surrounds USGA championships and their place in history.

“The energy around USGA events is unlike any other atmosphere we compete in,” Zhang said. “The venues are always top notch, and the way the USGA takes such great care of us as players is really special.

In a city rich in history and on a golf course that has already made USGA history, Rose Zhang looks to add yet another important page to her already remarkable story. The Red Rose City would be an appropriate place to write that chapter.