Stanford's Rose Zhang makes history with back-to-back individual national titles
The GIST: It’s trophy time in the tee box! The women’s natty concludes with today’s match-play final round, but one national title has already been snatched — in extraordinary fashion, no less.
The natty queen: Run it back, Rose Zhang! The top-ranked Stanford sophomore made history as the first woman to win multiple individual national titles after her stunning comeback in Monday’s final round of stroke play. Even more, she did it all before her 20th birthday (today — HBD!). The Tiger Woods of women’s golf? He wishes.
- And Michael Block wasn’t the only underdog who dazzled on this week’s links — San Jose State’s No. 72 sophomore Lucia Lopez Ortega and USC’s unranked (!!!) freshman Catherine Park tied for second, just one shot behind Zhang. The future is bright.
The team title: Unfortunately for Zhang’s No. 1 Stanford Cardinal, her individual trophy is the only one they’ll bring home to Palo Alto this year — the No. 9 USC Trojans pulled off a major upset in last night’s match-play semis, ending the Cardinal’s hopes for a natty repeat.
- In today’s 3:35 p.m. ET final, the Trojans will go head-to-head with the No. 2 Wake Forest Demon Deacons as USC pursues the program’s fourth national title and first since 2013. The Demon Deacons, on the other hand, are swinging for their first-ever natty. Time to par-tee.
