Is Rose Zhang the next Tiger Woods? She is the 20-year-old phenom who breaks his records. Now this whirlwind hits the Women’s Open at Walton Heath

There’s a crowded office wall in Irvine, California that tells a story about why Rose Zhang is the most hyped talent in golf.

It was found in her parents’ home and the trophies, medals and plaques are a shrine to her various records, some of which belonged to Tiger Woods until this 20-year-old whirlwind came along on a journey that takes her to the British this week. Open.

Ahead of that meeting at Walton Heath, her fourth major as a pro, Zhang Mail takes Sport on a virtual tour of the staging posts of a pretty amazing amateur and junior career and they’re pretty much all there – her 12 wins in 20 starts for Stanford University, past the 11 out of 26 managed by Woods, and there’s the two NCAA titles, another record.

And then there is the US. Women’s Amateur title, and that for the rest of the greats, of US Girls’ Junior, World Amateur Team Championship and the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. They are the markers of a time in the unpaid ranks when she was world No. 1 for 141 weeks, and together they paint a messy and glorious picture of the most decorated amateur in women’s golf history.

But what you don’t find among the ribbons and bows and pots and pans is everything for second place. Zhang smiles at that.

“I started throwing them away when I was 10,” she says. “I think I threw away at least 10 or 15. I had more gold medals than silver and I was like “Silver is not necessary”. So I just had to throw them away.

“What I will say is I was very competitive growing up. I thought, “Fuck second place”. Absolutely, I was pretty hard on myself about finishing first.”

Zhang is a phenomenon. The kind of talent that, even at such a young age, has to be seen to be appreciated. The kind signed up by Rolex, Beats and Adidas, and the kind that came under suffocating pressure when she turned pro at the Mizuho Americas Open in June.

She competed against seven of the top 10 women in the world. She won, becoming the first to do so on debut since 1951.

“It’s been a little crazy,” she says. ‘I certainly didn’t expect it. But I’m just really happy that everything is happening the way it is and I’m kind of going along for the ride.

‘To be honest, I didn’t expect it all. When it comes down to a tournament, it’s about more than skill, because anything can happen – you’re playing against the best players in the world. I played against the best collegiate players and amateurs in the world, but when you take that leap, it’s hard to say, “Oh, I’ll come over here and win”. It’s just not going to happen that way. So yeah, everything that went the way it did, I just don’t think it was anything that was in my vision or in my mind.”

What followed that victory plays on the attention Zhang has garnered from her rise to fame, as well as her potential to become a crossover star of her sport.

“Tiger contacted me — that was kind of crazy,” says Zhang. “I also look up to Steph Curry a lot, and he gave me a scream, something I could never have imagined. But there have also been a lot of random people who recognized me, something I didn’t really expect.

“I don’t think it’s an element of like I’m scared or intimidated, but it’s definitely an eye opener for me that I have a huge presence now in whatever I’m doing. It’s been pretty surreal.”

Her transition into the paid ranks was surprising, even after that first win. She is yet to finish less than a tie for ninth in the three majors she has contested as a pro, so Zhang will be among the favorites at Walton Heath at a time when women’s golf is already teeming with talent.

“Everyone wants to win – who doesn’t?” she says. “For me, The Open is such a great event. I went to the British Junior Open in 2018 and I was just a little Junior and now I’m getting here fast. I have the feeling that the sky is the limit.’

The 20-year-old won the Mizuho Americas Open just nine days after turning pro

Zhang won 12 in 20 starts for Stanford University, passing Tiger Woods’ 11 in 26

The comparisons to Woods, both because of their early successes and the commercial benefits it has already brought, run the risk of becoming unhealthy. A burden for a young woman who remains a student halfway through her studies at Stanford.

“I don’t think much about this,” Zhang says. “If I win and break one of Tiger’s records, it’s absolutely awesome. And I feel humbled that I can accomplish all of that. But I don’t see it as having to continue following in his footsteps, even when people ask, “Is she the next Tiger?”

“I believe everyone’s timing is different. And everyone’s life path is different.’

Certainly women’s wave has not seen many like Zhang, nor that office wall in her parents’ house.