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The twice collegiate champion turned
professional 10 days ago after 141 weeks as the world's
top-ranked amateur and sealed the title with a tap-in for par at
the second playoff hole at New Jersey's Liberty National Golf
Course.
"What is happening? I just can't believe it," she said in a
greenside TV interview. "It was just last week that I won NCAAs
with my team mates and to turn pro and come out here, it's just
been amazing."
Zhang had a two-shot lead through 54 holes and could have
avoided the playoff were it not for an errant putt that saw her
stumble into a bogey on the final hole.
But the 20-year-old Californian showed poise well beyond her
years when she drained a six-foot putt on the first playoff hole
and set herself up for success with a brilliant approach shot on
the second.
"This golf course is rough, I really got a bit of everything.
Got a taste of the pressure, got a taste of the wind and I tried
to stay composed as always," said Zhang.
"I knew that golf was just a grind and you really have to dig
deep so that's what I did once again."
Zhang, who won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in April, is
the second woman to win in her pro debut on the tour after
Beverly Hanson in 1951.
"I want to continue trying to carve a path for young kids to
just follow their dreams," she added. "I will continue to do
what I'm doing, I'll continue to fight."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Additional reporting by Nick
Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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