AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rose Zhang has always struggled at Augusta National — at least by her lofty standards. The final round of last weekend’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur was no different.
After firing rounds of 66 and 65 at nearby Champions Retreat, the 19-year-old amateur entered the final round with a five-shot lead. But nothing at Augusta National comes easy, especially when you’re battling your swing, and Zhang posted a four-over 76, forcing a playoff.
“I just felt like my swing wasn’t comfortable,” she said. “I really just tried to stay in the moment.”
As you all likely know by now, Zhang did just enough — hobbled swing and all — to force a playoff and earn the win. However, if not for a crucial mid-round swing adjustment, it’s unlikely she could’ve pieced together enough solid shots to capture the title.
Zhang’s mid-round swing adjustment
Through 12 holes of the ANWA final round, Zhang was reeling. She had a two-way miss with her driver and distance-control issues with her irons. She was four-over through 12, and her lead was dwindling with each passing hole. It looked as if she would repeat the heartbreak she endured on the same course in 2021.
Then, she made one small tweak — an “aha!” moment — that changed everything.
“I figured out a little trigger point in my golf swing,” Zhang said. “And from then on, it was kind of smooth sailing, grinding from there.”
The “trigger” Zhang alluded to was a small tweak in her grip. On her second shot on the par-5 13th, Zhang had an epiphany that she needed to weaken her grip to get her ball striking back on track.
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The tweak paid immediate dividends. On her third shot — a delicate half wedge over Rae’s creek — she fired her ball inside 10 feet, leading to her only birdie of the day.
“It was one of the best wedge shots that I hit all week, especially with me being under pressure,” she said. “Then on the next hole on the tee shot it was kind of like, ‘Oh, well, let’s see what this does with my little adjustment.’ And the drive that I hit was perfect. So from then on I kind of realized that it was going to work out.”
One of Zhang’s biggest strengths as a golfer is her ability to adapt during the round. When things aren’t working out, she’s able to quickly diagnose what’s causing the problem and adjust accordingly.
“I am very quick in adjusting to things that work,” she said. “I really kind of do a scan through in my mind on what I need to get done, on what I need to work on from setup to ball position, grip, everything.”
It’s a great quality to have as a golfer — perhaps the best quality — and it led Zhang to a win on one of the biggest stages in the game.