Rose Zhang: Golf prodigy on her way to Europe at the Solheim Cup

Rose Zhang immediately made an impression on the pros with her debut victory. Photo: Getty Images

Rose Zhang is set to become the most inexperienced professional golfer ever to play in the Solheim Cup, and Stacey Lewis is ready to welcome the newcomer prodigy to Team USA against Europe in September.

Three weeks ago, Zhang became the first player to win on her pro LPGA Tour debut since 1951, and all eyes will be on the 20-year-old on Thursday in the first round of the Women's PGA at Baltusrol.

Organizers Submit Zhang is in the top three with Mingji Li and Lexi Thompson — the 5th and 9th rackets of the world, respectively — and the bookmakers rank her as the third most likely to win the second major of the season.

Team USA captain Lewis wouldn't be the least bit shocked to see the Californian phenom finish at least high enough to help her rightfully enter the team at record speed.

«Rose is moving up in the [global ] the Rolex rankings so fast that I think she could potentially end up sneaking into Rolex seats and not even need one of my three picks,” Lewis said on a course in New Jersey. «That's how good she is, and anyone who followed college golf knew this win straight out of the gate was no surprise.»

Zhang's success at the Mizuho Americas Open, where she fought off big winner Jennifer Kupcho went down — saw her jump from No. 252 to the brink of the top 60 in the world. It also qualified her for the Solheim Cup, and despite her greenery in the paid rankings, Lewis indicated that she would be willing to hand her a wildcard if required.

“Look, I was more interested in Rose in the 2023 match because I knew she needed a win to play in that match in Spain,” Lewis said. “But then she won and I wrote her a little. I needed her to try on [Solheim's] clothes and stuff like that. But I tried to leave her alone and not bother her too much because I know everything was crazy for her. I said we could talk more after Pebble Beach [Women's US Open in two weeks].»

Lewis met Zhang when he captained Team USA at the amateur Spirit International in Houston. As an amateur world record holder, Zhang led America to gold and won individual awards herself.

«Rose shot 10 fewer shots for three days, won by two or three, and if you had watched behind her game, you would probably say that by her standards she played badly! Lewis said. “It was very impressive with her demeanor and the way she carries herself. As the captain of Solheim, I'm excited. I've been following her and now obviously I'm watching her even more closely.”

Zhang's performances in Baltusrol and Pebble could be critical to her chances to line up against the euro Suzanne Pettersen in Finca Cortesin. , the alignment on the Costa del Sol, where the home side will try to win an unprecedented third match in a row.

“These two tournaments are so important just because they take place so close to Solheim, and we are talking about who is trending in the right direction,” Lewis said. “For me, the Majors are the best example of answering the question: “How do they play under pressure?”