Rose Zhang Makes History With ‘Hello World’ Win In First LPGA Tour Start

Rose Zhang lived up to the hype in her professional golf debut, creating her own “Hello World,” moment.

The game’s most decorated women’s amateur golfer won the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open in a two-hole playoff over Jennifer Kupcho, becoming the first golfer to win in her LPGA Tour debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Several months ago, tournament host and LPGA icon Michelle Wie said the event at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, would not only promote equity and opportunity for women, but “support the next generation of talent.” Wie was more prescient than she could ever imagine, as the 20-year-old Zhang bested one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour — one that boasted eight of the top 10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings.

Zhang earned $412,500 for the win, as the Mizuho Americas Open has one of the biggest prize purses on the LPGA Tour outside the major championships.

After the win, Zhang got a shout-out from fellow Stanford golfer Tiger Woods, whose career win total she broke with the Cardinal. In two seasons at Stanford, Zhang won 12 NCAA tournament titles in 20 collegiate starts, one better than Woods, Patrick Rodgers and Maverick McNealy in school history.

Woods, by the way, tied for 60th place in his professional debut at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. In turning pro, Woods famously uttered the phrase “Hello World” during his introductory news conference that week.

Zhang’s win in her LPGA Tour debut came just a couple weeks after she became the first woman to ever win consecutive NCAA Division I individual golf titles. She received the 2022 and 2023 Annika Award as the nation’s top female collegiate golfer and this season set an NCAA scoring average record of 68.7, surpassing the previous record she had established last year by almost a full stroke.

In turning pro this past week, Zhang also officially signed a multiyear contract with adidas, strengthening ties with the company she’s signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with as a college athlete. Among the other victories during a celebrated amateur career were the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior, and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

It’s particularly noteworthy that Zhang’s win came at the Mizuho Americas Open, as the event provides junior golfers a first-of-its-kind opportunity to compete alongside the LPGA’s top professionals for an unprecedented week of education and access. In total, there were 24 girls from the American Junior Golf Association teeing it up alongside the pros. Zhang was a two-time AJGA Player of the Year.

“She is the perfect example of how juniors can rise through the ranks to compete with the best professionals in the world,” said Jerry Rizzieri, President & CEO, Mizuho Securities USA.

Zhang’s win only heightens expectations, especially with two majors coming up in the next month. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is held June 22-25 at Baltusrol Golf Club — the fourth LPGA tournament in New Jersey over a six-week span — and the U.S. Women’s Open is scheduled for July 6-9 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. The total purse for both of those events is $19 million.