CROMVOIRT, Netherlands — Rose Zhang went skydiving last week through a partnership with Red Bull, a jump that had been pushed back from March.
On Thursday, U.S. captain Angela Stanford paired Zhang with Jennifer Kupcho for the fourth match of Friday morning’s foursomes at the Solheim Cup. The two tee off at 1:16 a.m. CT against Europe’s Maja Stark and Linn Grant at Bernardus Golf, according to GOLF.com.
Zhang met with reporters Wednesday at Bernardus, in an availability reported by The Associated Press and Golf Channel. Last week was the only week off on her schedule where she “could essentially jump out of an airplane.”
“I didn’t tell Angela this until after I jumped,” Zhang said. “I should have just texted in the group chat, ‘I landed.’”
“But we were also joking about it the previous week in Boston that if one of the Europeans came and drove the plane, it would not be good,” Zhang added.
“It was extremely fun,” Zhang continued. “I personally am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and so I enjoy roller coasters, I’m not scared of heights. It just felt fitting to do it right before a Solheim.”
Rose Zhang Went 4-0-0 At The 2024 Solheim Cup
Zhang, 23, is playing in her third Solheim Cup and brings a 4-2-1 record into the week. She won all four of her matches in 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, where the U.S. beat Europe 15½-12½.
In June 2023, she won her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open. She was the first woman to win her pro debut since 1951.
Every player on the U.S. team starts this week with the same blank-slate record, Zhang said, whether it is a veteran or a rookie like Lindy Duncan, who sat beside her at Wednesday’s news conference.
“I personally don’t feel like a veteran, I feel like in the team room I’m this baby that everyone keeps joking about,” Zhang said.
Andrea Lee was Zhang’s teammate on the 2023 and 2024 U.S. teams. Lee opens Friday in the third match with Duncan.
“We make fun of her all the time,” Lee said. “She’s a little baby, but she’s also a veteran, so it’s weird.”
Lee said the jokes extend to whether Zhang knows songs from the 2000s. Zhang was born in May 2003.
“Once you guys hit the ’90s, I’m lost,” Zhang said.
Rose Zhang Tied For Fourth At FM Championship Before Solheim Cup
Zhang finished her degree at Stanford University in the spring and returned to a full LPGA Tour schedule. She missed the cut at the JM Eagle LA Championship and the Chevron Championship, GOLF.com reported. After tying for ninth at the Ford Championship in March, she posted one top-12 finish over her next 10 starts.
She tied for eighth at the Portland Classic in August. Zhang withdrew from the CPKC Women’s Open last month with a minor back injury, according to Golf Channel.
Stanford named Zhang one of her three captain’s picks in late August, along with Megan Khang and Duncan. Stanford said Zhang was an “easy choice.”
“Rose has been successful on different levels. Everywhere she has played she has been a winner,” Stanford said. “We weren’t worried about Rose this year on the golf course, we just wanted her to get reps. When she finally started to get those reps, she started proving what she has always proven.”
Later that week at TPC Boston, Zhang opened the FM Championship with an even-par 72 and closed with a 68. She finished at 10 under, tied for fourth and four shots behind winner Ruoning Yin. It was her first top-five finish of the season.
Zhang called the week a confidence booster heading into the Solheim Cup.
“It’s just nice to know that I can play under pressure,” Zhang said after the final round. “I feel like it’s been a while since I gave myself an opportunity to be in the last couple groups, and so to have people watching and to be playing well, especially on top of that, I think it all brings really good energy, especially into the next two weeks.”
Four-ball pairings for Friday afternoon had not been announced as of Thursday. Golf Channel’s coverage begins at 12:30 a.m. CT Friday.
