Rose Zhang has amassed her latest accolade and has joined an elite club in doing so. The 18-year-old has been named the Mark H. McCormack Medal winner for the second consecutive year. The award is given annually by the USGA and R&A to the top-ranked female player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Zhang is only the third player to win multiple McCormack medals, joining Lydia Ko (2011-13), of New Zealand, and Leona Maguire (2015-17), of the Republic of Ireland.
Last month, Zhang added another USGA honor to her collection when she won the U.S. Girls’ Junior. It was a tall task coming in as the favorite. Last week, she bowed out in the first round of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she was the defending champion.
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Since first receiving the McCormack Medal in October 2020, Zhang has competed in three LPGA majors, making the cut in the Amundi Evian Championship last month. She missed the cut in the 2020 and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open after tying for 11th in the ANA Inspiration last fall.
She has spent 47 straight weeks as the No. 1 player in the world, and her schedule doesn’t get any lighter from here. Zhang is set to play next week’s AIG Women’s British Open and represent the U.S. in the Curtis Cup at the end of the month. She will be a freshman at Stanford this fall.
“To receive any award with the USGA and The R&A’s names on it is incredible, so to have it happen a second time is both rewarding and humbling,” Zhang said. “The work I’ve put into my game over the past few years has truly been paying off, and I am so grateful to all who have supported me along the way. I look forward to continuing to reach new heights as I take my game to the collegiate level.”
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