Rose Zhang shoots career low round; rides hot ‘short stick’ at Maybank Championship
Zhang was firing on all cylinders during the first round of the Maybank Championship, as she shot the lowest round of her LPGA career.
Rose Zhang had plenty of reason to be satisfied after her round on Thursday at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
She shot a 7-under 65, the lowest round of her young LPGA career.
“I’m super happy, especially going into the last hole. I knew we were cutting it close [with the rain],” Zhang said after her round. “I was telling Ollie we had to speed up. Please let the rain stay away for just a little bit.
“I played solid. Overall, it was a very solid day.”
Soon after Zhang walked off the course, Malaysian showers dampened Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Yet, the entire field was able to finish play Thursday, as 59 of the 78 entrants finished under par after day one.
Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand is sitting on top, as she shot a 9-under 63 to begin the tournament. Hannah Green of Australia is in solo second at 8-under.
Zhang, meanwhile, is at 7-under, tied with Linn Grant—a Solheim Cup hero—along with three other players.
“I know that there are so many great players out here, so it’s really important to stay aggressive and committed,” Zhang added. “That’s what I really tried to do, and ultimately the short stick has to work, so that really helped me today.”
On Thursday, Zhang made seven birdies and zero bogies to put herself in contention.
She only missed one fairway and recorded 27 putts, which usually produces a winning formula.
“Today, I felt like everything was about placement,” Zhang said.
“Placing the ball in the fairway and onto the green, making yourself go for birdie opportunities when necessary.”
She will do her best to stick to this game plan on Friday. She will begin her second round alongside American Gina Kim and Peiyun Chien of Taiwan. Both players are also at 7-under, as this trio will tee off at 9:16 a.m. local time in the penultimate pairing.
Golf Channel will air live second-round coverage of the Maybank Championship beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.