Rose Zhang’s victory at the Mizuho Americas Open made her the first player in more than seven decades to win in her professional debut on the LPGA. “I just can’t believe it,” Zhang said after her playoff win. “Last week I won the NCAA with my [college] teammates, turning pro and coming here, it’s been amazing.”
Rose’s parents moved to Arcadia, California from China in 2001.
Rose Zhang was born on May 24, 2003 to Li Cai and Haibin Zhang. Li and Haibin grew up in Shenyang, China. They married and welcomed Rose’s older brother, Bill, in 1993. Eight years later, the family immigrated to the United States, settling in Arcadia, California.
bill talked to the athletic on the family’s early years in Arcadia: “Humble beginnings. It was different to the immigration we see now, where you have a rich generation coming in, who made a lot of money abroad, and they come here for a new life.”
Rose has visited China twice: once as a child and once in 2019 to play golf. “I have no idea where [her extended family] they are,” Rose said. The family moved to Irvine in 2008.
Explaining why Rose asked the athletic In order not to interview her parents, Bill told the outlet that she is very protective of them. “My parents are very passionate,” Bill said. “My dad is very passionate. Sometimes that gets lost in translation. … So she is protective.”
Haibin introduced Rose to golf and quit his job to support Rose’s career.
Rose hit her first golf ball at age nine after a family friend brought clubs to her father. Haibin recognized Rose’s potential and arranged golf lessons at a local dirt pasture. She constantly practiced with a set of $200 golf clubs bought by Haibin. Several months after his first swing, Rose won his first tournament.
As Rose’s career gained momentum, Haibin quit his job to travel with her. Li Cai and Bill worked to support the family; Li as a dental technician and Bill as a notary. Rose and Haibin traveled the country, sleeping in motels and airports and flying at night to save money on accommodation. George Pinnell, one of Rose’s trainers, described Haibin’s role in Rose’s development:
“You should understand, much of his early development was done by his father. Not from a swing standpoint. He was never involved in our lessons. He left us alone. Where it was really significant was in his game state of mind. How he works, how he thinks. That’s his father.
Rose practiced so much that her brother asked her to slow down. Her schedule was untenable, but she kept going. She now enjoys the fruits of her hard work.
Haibin is still part of Rose’s team. She listens to her advice, which can be misleading at times. At the 2019 Junior PGA tournament, Rose lost to Yuka Saso in part due to a mistake in the middle of the 15th fairway. Rose’s instincts told her not to sit still rather than try; Haibin advised him to do so. She listened to her father and paid the price, throwing the ball into the water.
Rose initially took full responsibility for the missed shot. However, several months later, he told her the athletic that Haibin was partly to blame:
“That shot, that was my dad, I’m not even going to lie,” Rose said. “Slapping me on the thigh was like, wow, the biggest reaction you’ve ever seen from me. I was like, dude, that’s the dumbest mistake I’ve ever made. Because I would never do that. If I went into the water, and it was of my own free will, my reaction would be much more different. But I fucking knew.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn