Rose Chang (USA), the biggest newcomer on the Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour, had a solid first day of her professional debut.
Zhang shot a 2-under 70 in the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Mizuho Americas Open ($2.75 million purse) at Liberty National Golf Club (par-72) in Jersey City, N.J., on Sunday.
She was five shots behind leader Lauren Hartley (USA), who shot a 7-under 65, but was in a group of 12 players in a tie for the lead going into the final three days. 토토사이트
Jang is considered the longest-serving U.S. female amateur in history, having held the No. 1 amateur women’s golf ranking for 141 consecutive weeks beginning in September 2020.
Jang, who turned pro in late May, surpassed the previous record of 130 weeks held by Lydia Ko.
In the 20 tournaments she competed in for Stanford University in the United States, she won 12 titles, breaking the record of her fellow senior Tiger Woods (USA), who won 11 times.
After turning pro and earning a spot in the Mizuho Americas Open, Zhang has plenty of invitations to come.
Ahead of her debut, Zhang announced a sponsorship deal with Delta Air Lines.
This is the first time Delta, the world’s busiest airline, has sponsored an LPGA Tour player.
In her LPGA Tour professional debut, her first since turning pro, Jang averaged 263 yards off the tee with a short driver, missing the fairway just once and the green four times.
There were five birdies and three bogeys. He had a long chip shot birdie on the 13th (par-5).
He struggled a bit on the greens, with his putt count reaching 30.
“I even felt a few mouths on my putts,” Zhang said. I tended to push the putts a bit, which was not comfortable. But it will get better when I practice on the practice green,” Zhang said.
Quite a few fans showed up to watch Zhang tee off at 8:43 a.m. local time.
“I was surprised to see so many people. Today’s round has a special meaning for me. I really feel loved here. There were cheers and applause for every shot and putt I made,” he said happily.
“I was a little nervous, but it was great to play with the players I’ve seen on TV,” he said, adding, “I hope to play well tomorrow.”