AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN'S AMATEUR

April 1, 2022

Rose Zhang

Quick Quotes

Q. Three birdies to finish this morning?

ROSE ZHANG: Yes.

Q. Not a bad way to put an end to your day.

ROSE ZHANG: Definitely.

Q. What was going on for your this morning?

ROSE ZHANG: I started out on No. 6, the par-3, and had a bogey there. I left my par putt just an inch short, and it really kind of stimulated me to just go for it on the last three holes. I knew I was around that cut, so I really had to just go forward and take a chance.

The last three holes, it was just very smooth sailing. I was able to get the shots in, execute the way I wanted it to, and that's just what you have to do on this golf course.

Q. Knowing you're going to be close to the cut last night coming into this morning, what were you looking forward to this morning? Did you have any sort of expectations for what you wanted to do or what you needed to do to get inside that top 30?

ROSE ZHANG: Definitely. First of all, I needed to stay composed out here. The atmosphere when you're on the cut line is very thick. I really had to stay in the moment and really just try to execute my golf shots.

Doing that is hard, so I really had to prepare myself for that.

Q. What's the caddie situation going to be like this weekend?

ROSE ZHANG: I believe my dad's going to be on the bag. Actually, so the second round and today, my dad was on the bag, and we just make a really good pair. He is very emotional on the golf course, but I guess it just brings out my chill mood, I guess.

Q. He's caddied for you in the past. What's that relationship going to be like to be able to share that kind of moment at Augusta National?

ROSE ZHANG: It will be so cool. It will be my first time having him on the bag here, so I think it's a memory that will last a lifetime. But I think we're just going to sink in and try to have the best time we can on Augusta National.

Q. You've accomplished a lot in your golf career. Where would this one rank as far as what you've been able to accomplish so far if you're able to win?

ROSE ZHANG: Augusta National is just amazing, and I think that just being able to participate and play here is already an honor in itself. Just being able to win and put that trophy on -- put your name on that trophy, I think that it's something that you will obviously remember for a lifetime. That would be clearly amazing. So I feel like it would be the top of the top.

Q. Can you describe your birdies on 7, 8, and 9 to finish there.

ROSE ZHANG: Like a brief one?

Q. Yeah, just like ten-footer for birdie or whatever.

ROSE ZHANG: Sounds good. I had a wedge in on 7, and I hit it to around 10, 12 feet, made that putt, really gave me confidence into the next hole.

Since it was cold in the morning, on 8 it was a par-3, I clubbed up and hit it to around 15 feet or 20 feet. Then sunk that putt. It just slipped in on the lip.

Going into 9, just trying to get the ball out there and really try to make a par, but it wasn't planned. I kind of hit it in the rough, but I had a mud ball, and it was directly on the face of my club. So I didn't really know where the ball was going to go. So it went in the pine needles in the middle of that tree, which was not intended.

Then clubbed up there, hit it -- hit a crazy shot, in my opinion. Hit it to like three feet and then made the putt for birdie, but I had like 162 left.

Q. For your third shot?

ROSE ZHANG: Yes, for my third shot, but I was in the pine needles. So I really had to concentrate there.

Q. What did you hit?

ROSE ZHANG: Hit a 5.

Q. Is there an example from the second round where your dad really helped you out or really kind of pushed the right button to bring the best out of you?

ROSE ZHANG: Definitely. I honestly thought -- I think it was this last shot actually that I had on 18. I feel like I needed that confirmation that I can use a higher club even though it was back pin, and I really needed that confidence to just be able to execute that golf shot without having any other thoughts, especially under pressure. I mean, the ball could go anywhere at that point.

So just being able to have him and I talk through the shot and confirm what we needed to play, I feel like that shot ended up being spectacular, and that really was the highlight of my Round 2.

Q. You're not used to being a cut line golfer, I guess. You're always at the top of the leaderboard. What do you think you proved to yourself? I guess if you needed to prove anything at all. But did you show to yourself that you could do that?

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I think I definitely needed to prove -- I definitely needed something to prove myself this week because going into the event I didn't really have my A game. I don't even think I had my B game. And I really had to grind through every single golf shot that I hit on this golf course.

Just being able to come from below the cut line to being in the cut line, I think that it really showed that I have the grit and I have the perseverance to just being able to execute regardless of where I am. So I think that really proved a lot to me.

Q. I guess your C game is still quite good. What has been a little bit off over these past couple weeks, if anything at all?

ROSE ZHANG: Well, the past couple weeks I've been struggling a little bit with like health issues, just incidents with my foot. In December a person dropped a dumbbell on my foot in the gym, so that was not intended, and it didn't heal until like recently. So I just haven't been practicing much.

Then it's just like the normal stress of college and the adjustment of lifestyle. So it was a little bit of everything. So I really just didn't have much time to practice and just not being able to have those fundamentals that I usually try to have, it was definitely hard on this course.

Q. Which foot?

ROSE ZHANG: Left.

Q. That's the one you hit with --

ROSE ZHANG: Exactly. So I also hit myself with a wedge like right before a golf round, like I literally did that. It was very much self-sabotage, but I guess it just happened. And it hasn't healed either. So it actually got inflamed because I kept on playing 36, 18, 36, 18 in college.

Q. Someone dropped a dumbbell on your foot?

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah. And I don't know how. I think like I was just doing my regular workout and then she was trying to put back the dumbbell. Then something happened, and she dropped it. It was only 15 pounds, which I don't know how she dropped it, but it dropped on me.

Q. Good thing she wasn't bench pressing like 45. It could have been way worse.

ROSE ZHANG: It really could have been. At least it was my pinkie toe, so it's slowly recovering. Again, you can't really do anything with a fractured toe.

Q. Oh, it is fractured? It's not just bruised?

ROSE ZHANG: I think it might be a little fractured. I actually don't know.

Q. How does that affect your golf swing?

ROSE ZHANG: The first thing that I like to do or think about is shift my weight to the left when I come down, and not being able to do that because I feel hindered with like a little bit of a sting like when I come down, I'm just putting all my weight on my back, and then I'm just duck hooking. If I'm duck hooking, I try to push it, and then I end up going right. So it's like all of the above.

Q. How does it feel right now?

ROSE ZHANG: It's feeling a lot better, yeah. The last couple days, I actually have been trying to recover, and I haven't been practicing at all. So I haven't touched a club in six days prior to my college event in Arizona. So now I'm here still playing.

Q. You said on Thursday or Wednesday your course management was a little off. Was getting your dad on the bag, was that kind of the solution you needed to maybe help you along? Because he knows your strategy.

ROSE ZHANG: Yes, it definitely was. I think that -- I feel like the caddie that I had had really good course management and I really liked the info he gave me, but at the same time, I didn't feel like I got the confirmation that I usually want, especially with me not being confident in my golf game. I needed someone who knew my game well and just had me just going at it regardless of where it goes.

So with my dad knowing my game so well, I think we made a really good pair out there.

Q. Spinning ahead to later today, you're not obviously going to be looking around in awe of Augusta National because you've done this a couple times already. How do you think that will work to your advantage versus, I guess, some of the first timers who might be near the top?

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I mean, you're going to be in awe of Augusta National regardless.

Q. I didn't phrase that well.

ROSE ZHANG: Yes, I do understand. I think that I already know that this course plays very difficult and course management is the topnotch key to playing well on this golf course. So I think that going out there I know where I missed the last two years. I know where I should be able to hit it.

So I feel like just being able to tone that down a little bit and take more notes will definitely help me. The more you play Augusta National, I'm sure it's going to help you more a little bit. So I'm pretty thankful for that.

Q. Any concerns walking the terrain with your foot out there?

ROSE ZHANG: No. I grinded through the last couple days. I think I'm fine.

Q. Another round won't hurt you?

ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, it won't hurt. It's definitely recovered more now that I rested it a little bit. It's just the last couple weeks it was ongoing, and I didn't really know what was going on with any foot, so I just went through it.

Q. Has it been kind of a weird situation? Your health isn't a hundred percent, you're maybe not playing as well as you want, and you're the World No. 1, everyone looking at you with all of the attention. Is that kind of a weird spot for you to be in personally?

ROSE ZHANG: Honestly, yeah. It's definitely different. I've gained a much more different perspective over the last couple weeks, I would say, just because I'm so used to having that smooth sailing body that can just do anything I wanted to. I can practice a lot. I can rest a lot. But now it's like I'm being forced to kind of rest a little bit, and I just don't have that fundamental that I want in my golf game.

So just being in that place kind of makes it a little weird for me, but I think that, like I said before, this week really proved a lot to me personally in that I can enjoy golf while being in a really grinding situation.

Q. Just as far as timeline, where were you at with your recovery when you set the course record at Meadow Club?

ROSE ZHANG: So that was actually right before I kind of like rested. I think I was on adrenaline during those couple stretches of events where I just like constantly played and then grinded through that.

So when I played at Meadow Club, it was definitely helping. So I didn't really think much of it. But it was after that over spring break where I actually took that break and I felt the effects of everything. So I really had to rest after that.

Q. Who was there on 18 for your finish?

ROSE ZHANG: Yes, it was Dr. Rice and Coach Walker. That was crazy, like I did not expect to see them. Just being able to hit that shot and have them watch, especially with Dr. Rice there, very special moment.