Not only did she turn pro, but she has shown a lot of composure on the course and off with the sheer volume of interview requests. She also is on a roll, having won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year and her second straight NCAA title last month. They will all have to catch Zhang, who was the No.

The 22-year-old was at 5 under along with top-ranked Jin Young Ko (73) and fellow South Korean player Sei Young Kim (70). Stephanie Kyriacoiu of Australia had the best round of the day, shooting a 65 that included an eagle, six birdies and an early bogey. Lee (72) was 7 under in fifth place, a shot ahead of Jennifer Kupcho (69) rookie Hae Ran Ryu (66) and Eun-Hee Ji (70).

Knight had a 69, making a bogey at No, 17 and missing a 10-footer for birdie on the final hole. Zhang settled for a tap-in birdie at the driveable 16th hole after hitting her tee shot within about 5 feet.Ĭheyenne Knight, who was tied with Minjee Lee for the halfway lead at 7 under, was tied for second with Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand and Aditi Ashok of India, who both shot 68s. It’s nothing new for the 20-year-old who won 12 of 20 events in her two years in college, with many viewing it as a sign of things to come.Įvent 1 is certainly shaping up that way a day to go, and it could have been better. The former Stanford star had six birdies in a bogey-free round on a raw, overcast day at Liberty National in jumping to the top of the leaderboard. “Tomorrow, I’ll be just trying to figure out what it feels like to be in the final group, navigate my way through, and I’m sure by the end of the day I’ll be able to, you know, just build my character more.” “I’ve been in this position before, but I haven’t been in this position as a professional, since this is my first week, so I’m really just learning everything that I could,” Zhang said. The two-time NCAA champion moved into position to win in her pro debut, shooting a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Mizuho Americans Open. (AP) - Much was expected of Rose Zhang when she turned professional last week, and she is already delivering.

Debut professional code