Check out the prize money payouts at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open.
Rose Zhang hit the jackpot in her first week of work. The newly-minted pro captured the Mizuho Americas Open 13 days after winning her second NCAA Championship. She earned $412,500 for her playoff victory over Jennifer Kupcho.
Zhang, who accepted LPGA membership with the victory, is now eligible for the Solheim Cup this September in Spain. The 20-year-old became the first player to win her first pro start at an LPGA event since Beverly Hanson in 1951. She heads back to Stanford this week to finish her final exams and pack up her dorm room.
The inaugural Mizuho Americas Open purse of $2.75 million is among the highest on tour for a non-major event. Runner-up Kupcho earned $256,544.
Rose Zhang came into her pro debut at the Mizuho Americas Open expecting to scramble to make the cut. She was surprised to see fans in the grandstands Thursday morning to watch first tee shot as a professional. Such is the humble mindset of a champion whose legendary status rose to another dimension on Sunday when she became the first player since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win on the LPGA in her pro debut.
Hello world, indeed.
Zhang didn’t make a birdie all day but stayed patient throughout a painstakingly long final round at Liberty National to win in a two-hole playoff against Jennifer Kupcho with the most important par of her life.
“What is happening?” said Zhang as she held a bouquet of red roses. “I just can’t believe it.”
Thirteen days removed from winning her second NCAA title, celebrating her 20th birthday and announcing her professional plans, Zhang took on the best players in the world and beat them all.
The player known as “Rosie” by her Stanford family absolutely dazzled all week – whether the round came easy or required a persistent grind.
“I will continue to do what I’m doing,” Zhang said. “I’ll continue to fight. I’ll continue to work hard and hopefully everyone can follow along.”
A 12-time winner at Stanford, two-time USGA champion and the reigning Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, Zhang carried enormous expectations into the week as her accomplishments in the amateur game have been unmatched in the modern era. Zhang considers the expectations of others to be a compliment, and she embraces the challenge, knowing deep down the results don’t define her.
It’s a mature-beyond-her-years outlook that should translate into staying power at the top of the game.
Zhang’s highlight reel for the week included a chip-in birdie on a 29-foot curler on the par-5 13th in her opening round; a tee shot she nearly aced on the drivable par-4 16th on Saturday; and a recovery shot from the rough on Sunday that looked so good she ran to see it.
The LPGA hadn’t seen a more anticipated American pro debut since Michelle Wie West in 2005. Wie West happened to be the tournament host at Mizuho and joined fellow former prodigy Morgan Pressel in the Golf Channel booth Sunday during Zhang’s back nine to talk about her sensational debut.
“I look up to her,” said Wie West, “she’s just such an amazing player.”
She also received a congratulatory text from fellow Cardinal Tiger Woods, which came as a surprise to Zhang during her post-round press conference as she had not yet looked at her phone.
Incredible few weeks for Rose Zhang, defends her NCAA title and then wins in her Pro debut. Go card!
Zhang, who was playing the Mizuho on a sponsor exemption, became the eighth player since 1992 to win her first professional start on the LPGA, joining Hinako Shibuno (2019 AIG Women’s Open) and Karrie Webb (1995 Weetabix Women’s British Open).
Now that she’s an LPGA member, Zhang is also eligible for this year’s Solheim Cup in Spain, captained by Stacy Lewis. Team USA hasn’t won a Solheim since 2017.
Zhang’s historical debut carried plenty of drama down the stretch. After missing a birdie putt inside 5 feet on the 16th hole that would’ve given her a two-stroke lead, Zhang faced a 10-foot comebacker for par on the penultimate hole to maintain her advantage. Zhang drained it like a boss to transcend the world of women’s golf.
On the second playoff hole, Zhang hit what she called one of the best shots she’s ever hit from 180 yards with a 4-hybrid to 6 feet.
Zhang fired a 6-under 66 on Saturday at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey, to rise to 11 under, two shots clear of Atthaya Thitikul (68), Aditi Ashok (68) and Cheyenne Knight (70). Minjee Lee sits fifth at 7 under.
“I think it’s just great to be in that position. It just shows that leading up the last three days you’ve been doing a great job at playing your best on the golf course,” she said after her round. “And I think that for me, I’ve been in this position before, but I haven’t been in this position as a professional, since this is my first week, so I’m really just learning everything that I could. Tomorrow [Sunday], I’ll be just trying to figure out what it feels like to be in the final group, navigate my way through, and I’m sure by the end of the day I’ll be able to, you know, just build my character more.”
The LPGA has been starved for a new American star, and Zhang is just 18 holes away from stepping into the spotlight.
Final round coverage starts Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, then live TV coverage takes over on Golf Channel at 5 p.m. ET.
What she would accomplish
It’s an impressive list of what Zhang could accomplish if she can finish on top Sunday. She would be the:
First player to win in her first start on the LPGA since Hinako Shibuno at the 2019 AIG Women’s Open
First player to win while making her pro debut on the LPGA since Beverly Hanson in 1951
First non-member to win on the LPGA since Maja Stark won the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational
Fourth sponsor invite to win an LPGA event, joining Lydia Ko in 2013, Lexi Thompson in 2011 and Hee Kyung Seo in 2010
A victory would also give Zhang ability to accept automatic LPGA membership, where she could start earning official money and Race to CME Globe Points for the 2023 season.
View photos of Cheyenne Knight thoughout her career
Cheyenne Knight is quickly becoming a name to watch on the LPGA Tour.
Knight had quite the amateur resume when she left Alabama in 2018 to turn professional, leaving Tuscaloosa with four individual wins. She was a huge part of the Crimson Tide’s stacked 2018 NCAA National Championship team.
Knight broke through with her first LPGA victory in her home state of Texas at the 2021 Volunteers of America Classic at Old American Golf Club in The Colony.
Knight has flown under the radar ever since, but is showing promise and gaining form as we near the midway point of the 2023 season. With three top 10s over the past calendar year and currently sitting in the top 25 in the Race to CME Globe, Knight is a name to watch with three majors remaining in the LPGA season.
The next chapter in the Rose Zhang story has officially begun.
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – William Knauth arrived on the first tee in time to see Rose Zhang strike her first shot – a beauty – down the first hole at Liberty National. Knauth is pursuing a doctorate in statistics now at Columbia University in New York City, and he walked all 18 holes with Zhang, marveling at her consistency. Last year, Knauth became only the second Division III player to ever win the Byron Nelson Award. Last month, he played in his first professional tournament at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Why was Knauth on the tee at 8:43 a.m.?
“Because Rose Zhang is only going to get one first pro round,” he said, “and I wanted to be able to say I was there.”
There’s a sense by many that the opening round at the Mizuho Americas Open could signal the start of one of the LPGA’s great careers. Zhang’s first-round, 2-under 70, capped by a birdie on the 18th hole, was so close to being so much better. Lauren Hartlage paces the field atop the leaderboard after a spotless 7-under 65, and Zhang finds herself currently inside the top 10.
Zhang called her debut a “moderately casual” round, which is on brand for a player who likes to keep things simple. She was grateful for an early tee time so that she could get into her routine straight away and settle the nerves.
She hugged Stanford coach Anne Walker before walking to the first tee, where tournament host Michelle Wie West stood in the bleachers to film Zhang’s opening shot, cheering the loudest of all for a fellow Cardinal who could rock the women’s game much like she did two decades ago. Zhang said Wie West told her to go out there and “do you.”
“I was a little surprised that there were people out there,” said Zhang. “You know, it’s early in the morning. It’s a Thursday. I don’t expect anyone to be out here and be like, ‘Oh, go Rose.’
“I guess there is a lot of significance to this round, for me in particular, but I felt really just loved out there. I think everyone, every single putt I made, every single shot that I hit, it got a lot of little claps, little cheers.”
Zhang, the most decorated amateur player in modern history, recorded her first birdie as a professional on the second hole when she drained an 8-footer. Did the moment register?
“Definitely not, because I – you know, as a golfer, you know, there are so many holes after that you can get a birdie on one hole and then triple the next,” she said.
“So I’m just keeping everything into perspective, keeping things realistic, and I felt that I was pretty composed out there.”
Rose Zhang hits off the fourth tee during the first round of the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament, Thursday, June 1, 2023, at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Zhang found herself 3 under through six holes, though she cooled off a bit in the middle of the round. On the par-5 13th, Zhang hit her first wayward drive of the day into a small fairway bunker. She wedged out and then hit her third shot right of the green. What came next had Zhang covering her mouth in disbelief as she chipped in from 29 yards for birdie.
The adrenaline of the moment didn’t last, however, as a string of short misses on the greens led to back-to-back bogeys and a heartbreaker on the 16th.
“Found out I had a couple putter yips,” said Zhang, who is known for her exceptional ability to self-correct.
“I was pushing my putts today a little bit,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I had a confident stroke, so it felt a little jabby. That’s something to work on on the practice green.”
Rose standing on the 14th tee checking her yardage book with Lady Liberty. Such a cool scene. pic.twitter.com/YxG0iRXg4G
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) June 1, 2023
When Zhang flew east from Palo Alto last week, Walker said the newly-minted NCAA champ slept hard the whole way. It had been a whirlwind stretch for Zhang after that historic week in the desert. She celebrated her 20th birthday, crammed in a bunch of Stanford homework and announced plans to turn professional.
There were sponsor photo shoots over the weekend followed by three hours of media on Tuesday. Zhang, however, looked fresh and sounded grateful, taking it all in stride.
The hype around Zhang is real, and with a stunning view of the New York City skyline around every corner at Liberty National, one can’t help but think about the LPGA’s deep need for an American superstar who crosses over into mainstream sports and beyond. A star who will embrace all that comes with carrying a tour.
Zhang took her first step toward that potential as a professional on a picture-perfect day under the gaze of Lady Liberty.
“I just genuinely think there are people around me who treat me very normal,” said Zhang, “treat me as I am, and that keeps me grounded. I have a very great support system around me, and that enables me to just do what I’m doing.”
Zhang’s first-ever event signed for a 2-under 70 in her first round as a pro on the LPGA.
One of the greatest amateur golfers of all time is officially a professional.
Rose Zhang is playing in the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open on the LPGA at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, after announcing her decision to turn pro on May 26.
Zhang’s extensive resume includes the most wins in Stanford history (12) — yes, more than Tiger Woods — the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Women’s Championship titles and a win at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She turned pro ten days after winning the NCAA individual title.
Here are some photos from Zhang’s professional debut at Liberty National, hosting the LPGA for first time.
The top 24 girls in the AJGA rankings were invited to compete at Liberty National.
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – There’s a tournament within a tournament going on at this week’s Mizuho Americas Open, and it’s the kind of event that represents the heart of the game.
The top 24 girls in the AJGA rankings were invited to compete at Liberty National in a Stableford format. The juniors will play together for the first two rounds in between the two waves of LPGA players. Over the weekend, they’ll be paired with the pros.
But it’s not simply that the juniors are here onsite, with a $1,500 travel stipend from Mizuho along with a club-provided caddie. (No parents are coaches are allowed to loop.)
Tournament host Michelle Wie West has facilitated a big sister program so that juniors are sure to leave this week with at least one new valuable relationship.
“At the pairings party we matched them up, every junior with their pro,” said Wie West. “They exchanged phone numbers and are playing a practice round today and having a meal today.
“Those exchanges of phone numbers are everything, because moving forward if they have a question they can text each other. I remember the first time I got Meg Mallon’s phone number … just being able to have access to such a great player.”
Marina Alex, for example, played a practice round with Sara Im, who has committed to Vanderbilt, Alex’s alma mater.
“I know when I was a junior nothing like this existed,” said Alex. “You would come out, and if you qualified, let’s say for a U.S. Open or played a professional event as an amateur or as a junior, it was a little scary.”
On Wednesday, juniors Gianna Clemente, Yana Wilson and Katie Li took part in a pre-tournament press conference following World No. 1 Jin Young Ko.
Wilson, winner of the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior, played a practice round with Andrea Lee on Tuesday and declared her by far the nicest professional she’s ever met. Li played with Lilia Vu and Clemente was paired with Paula Creamer.
Both Wilson and Clemente reported that they love talking to the media, with both having had a good bit of experience with it in recent years.
Li, who has verbally committed to Duke, said she appreciates the opportunity to learn first-hand how an entire LPGA event functions.
“Big thanks to everyone that helped host this event,” said Li, because without them, I don’t – I hope that I’ll get to experience this in the future, but like at least I will have at least once in my life (been) inside the ropes.”
This week Ganne reconnected with a security guard that once caught her sneaking onto Liberty National.
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – Just a couple days removed from playing in the final group at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club, teenage amateur Megha Ganne snuck onto Liberty National after dark with her younger sister and a couple of friends to play the 14th hole.
“We see this cart rushing towards us and we are like, ‘Oh, no, this is not good,’ because we had never seen a cart before,” recalled Ganne.
“A very angry security guard comes out and says like, ‘You guys know there are cameras out here, right? You can’t be out here.’ Very serious. And then he kind of gets closer and he’s like, ‘I feel like I saw you on TV like yesterday.’ ”
That security guard was Joe Cieri, now the director of operations at Liberty National. Cieri was on hand Wednesday at the Mizuho Americas Open for Ganne’s pre-tournament press conference. It was during that presser that the Stanford freshman announced a new partnership with Liberty National, sporting the course’s logo on her bag. Now she can legally play anytime she wants.
“To have this golf course I looked out of my backyard every day and know I have playing rights and practice privileges here,” said Ganne, “just so lucky to be a part of this golf course in some way.”
Ganne spent the first 14 years of her life in Port Liberte and had a view of the 14th hole from her bedroom window. That summer evening in 2021 wasn’t the first time Ganne had snuck onto Liberty National, but it was the first time she got caught. Cieri, a retired Springfield cop, and Ganne became fast friends.
“I was not as mean as she said I was,” said Cieri, laughing. “I think I joked and said ‘Listen, you guys won’t get in trouble as long as somebody makes par on the hole. And then I saw her swing and hit the ball … and I was like, wait a second.”
Ganne, who is playing this week on a sponsor exemption, followed in the footsteps of Stanford teammates Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck in signing with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. On Tuesday, Delta announced Zhang, Michelle Wie West, Ganne and Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn as brand ambassadors. This marks the first time the airline has sponsored LPGA players on a national level. Ganne also has NIL partnerships with TaylorMade and Ralph Lauren.
“It was just such a quick turn of golfers being allowed to have NIL,” said Ganne, “I took it slowly and saw what Rose and my other teammate, Rachel, did, and I had them as examples and people to lean on.”
Ganne, who now resides in nearby Holmdel, New Jersey, still has people approach her to talk about that special week at Olympic. She’s a different player now than she was then, having learned how to work the ball both ways and fine-tune her course management.
But that mega-watt smile and sparkling personality remain.
“The biggest thing on the golf course is my optimism and positivity,” said Ganne. “I feel like I had that for the last few years and that’s something I always try to maintain because I think it gives me a really big edge.”
Black Desert Resort will feature 150 hotel rooms, 1,050 residences, on-property trails and more.
The LPGA will head to Utah in 2025, the tour announced on Tuesday. The new event will be hosted at Black Desert Resort Golf Course in Ivins, Utah, near St. George.
The Tom Weiskopf design features generous fairways, a pair of drivable par 4s and the presence of ancient basalt rock formations.
Upon completion, the Black Desert Resort will feature 150 hotel rooms, 1,050 residences, on-property trails for exploration and adventure, a wellness spa for relaxation, and 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space for shopping and dining.
“We are thrilled to welcome Black Desert Resort into the LPGA family as a tournament partner and title sponsor,” said Ricki Lasky, LPGA Chief Tour Business and Operations Officer.
Courtesy Black Desert Resort Golf Course
“This spectacular venue will undoubtedly provide an incredible test to our LPGA Tour athletes. We also greatly appreciate the dedication of the Black Desert Resort team to elevating the stature of the women’s game by making this partnership a key element of their corporate platform as they welcome golf fans to their venue for the first time this week.”
It’s a wise-beyond-her-years mentality that will serve Zhang well on the global-tour grind.
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – Seconds before Rose Zhang was scheduled to step onto the dais for her first press conference as a professional, Anne Walker’s 8-year-old daughter walked up to give Zhang a small gift. Walker smiled as she recalled the way Zhang patiently interacted with her Emma, as in-the-moment and genuine as one could possibly be on the cusp of a hello-world splash.
“I think her humility is going to be her super power out here,” said Walker, who guided Zhang for two years at Stanford, where her 12 titles included back-to-back national championships.
It’s fitting that Zhang makes her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open, where Liberty National’s iconic views of the New York City skyline and Statue of Liberty serve as a reminder of how badly the LPGA needs an American superstar. LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan was there to greet Zhang as she left the press tent.
Zhang told the world last Friday of her plans to turn professional, but those in her inner-circle have known for some time. Zhang said there was a lot of internal debate about how to tell her teammates, but she knew they’d be supportive of her decision. The hard part, she said, was coming to terms with the fact that her idyllic college life wouldn’t last forever.
“Just understanding what my dynamic would be like in the future kind of broke my heart a little bit,” she said. “It’s like breaking up with 10 people instead of one guy.”
As Zhang took questions from the media, Tiger Woods’ longtime agent Mark Steinberg was on hand. Excel Sports Management represented Zhang for her NIL contracts and will continue on for the next chapter, with Excel vice president Kevin Hopkins serving as her agent. Zhang will continue to be sponsored by Callaway and Adidas. On Tuesday, she announced the addition of Delta, East West Bank and Uswing Mojing. Zhang wore a Rolex watch during her press conference, though nothing official has been said. She was also sponsored by Beats by Dre in college.
Zhang’s father, Henry, will travel with her this summer as she has eight LPGA starts already on the docket, including four majors. When it comes to the expectations of others, Zhang operates under the mindset that embracing works better than blocking out.
“I would say, you know, I take it as a compliment,” said Zhang. “They think I have the ability to go out and there and win every single time, so might as well just try and see if I can live up to those expectations.”
That was college and amateur though, and Zhang is as aware as anyone that the LPGA is a different level. There will be an adjustment period. Tournament host Michelle Wie West joked that Zhang was ranked No. 1 in the world more weeks than her entire amateur career.
“I’m being very realistic here,” said Zhang. “I believe that the collegiate level is still going to be different than what the LPGA level is. No doubt I’ll be able to adjust my game to where I’m able to win, but, as of now, I don’t know what it takes.”
Rose Zhang of the Stanford Cardinal poses with the trophy after winning the NCAA women’s Golf Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club on May 22, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Walker looks back to Zhang’s freshman year when she only won four times. There was an adjustment period for Zhang, who doubled her win count as a sophomore and cut almost a full stroke off her NCAA-record scoring average.
“That’s your own internal motivation to get better,” said Walker. “That, to me, is just flabbergasting.”
It’s the same drive that will compel Zhang to finish her degree at Stanford while competing on the LPGA. She has yet to move out of her dorm because after this week’s debut, she still has three finals left to take.
Zhang has talked to Wie West about what it takes to finish at degree at Stanford while competing on the LPGA.
Wie West said on Tuesday that she was “nervous as hell” all four rounds of her pro debut in 2005 at the Samsung World Championship. Said she almost topped her first tee shot.
“I played great, came in fourth,” said Wie West. “I don’t know if anyone remembers that. It’s what happened after that that made more the news.”
Wie West, of course, is referring to the disqualification that followed after a reporter informed officials a day later that Wie West had taken a questionable drop.
“I still think to this day that I did nothing wrong,” she said. “I dropped it in the right place. You know, whole different story. But you live and you learn. Things happen for a reason.”
When Zhang was asked how she’s able to cope with heaps of pressure and expectation, she pointed to what she called her “fundamental core.”
“Growing up my family and the people around me have given me high expectations for what I should do as a person, not just as a competitor or a golf player,” said Zhang, “so I kind of fall back towards those morals and who I am as an individual.
“That allows me to go out there on the golf course and think, ‘OK, today is another round of golf. I’m going to need to do what I need to do on the golf course. If it doesn’t work out, I still have a lot of things going for me in life.’ ”
It’s a wise-beyond-her-years mentality that will serve Zhang well on a global tour that’s a grind even for the most successful.
What is the fundamental core of Rose Zhang?
“I know it’s broad and it’s a big word, but it’s good,” said Walker. “It’s just good.”
