CHEVY CHASE, Md. --Rose Zhang fired an 8-under-par 62 on Tuesday, matching the mark for the lowest round in U.S. Girls’ Junior history. Her 36-hole total of 9-under 131 earned medalist honors by three strokes over Xin (Cindy) Kou, the only other player in red figures after two rounds of stroke play at Columbia Country Club.
After opening with a 1-under 69, Zhang started her second round with four consecutive pars. She was comfortably inside the cut line for match play but was growing frustrated at her missed opportunities, burning the edge on birdie putts inside 12 feet on Nos. 12, 13 and 14 (she started on No. 11).
“It started out as a very regular day,” said Zhang, 18, of Irvine, Calif. “I wasn’t able to convert many putts early, but after I chipped in on 15, I gained some momentum. Then on 16, I made a long par putt and from there I just kept it going.”
Did she ever.
Rose Zhang and her caddie discuss strategy on the 4th hole during the second round of stroke play at the 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Seeing the ball go in the hole opened the floodgates. She made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 18 and 1, hitting wedges inside 6 feet. She followed with a 7-foot birdie putt on the second, then sank a downhill 15-footer for birdie on the third for her fourth in a row.
She added birdies at the par-5 fifth after hitting the green in two, then nearly recorded the first hole-in-one of her career at the eighth, stuffing her tee shot at the par 3 to tap-in range.
After a par on No. 9, Zhang closed with a flourish at the difficult 10th, which played as the hardest hole during stroke play. She drained a 20-foot birdie putt with more than 6 feet of break, putting an exclamation point on the historic performance.
“I had really good course management all day,” said Zhang, who hit 16 of 18 greens. “Every single shot I had, I felt confident with what I had in my hands.”
Rose Zhang hits her tee shot on the 4th hole during the second round of stroke play at the 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
Kou, the Round 1 leader, followed her 66 with a solid effort on Tuesday. She started her round with 12 consecutive pars, then made three birdies against one bogey over her last six holes for a 2-under 68. Her 6-under 134 left her a half dozen shots clear of third-place finisher Bailey Davis.
“I’m more of a consistent, boring player,” said Kou, 17, of China. “Not many birdies, not many bogeys. But I’ll need to play more aggressive and create more opportunities in match play.”
Other players advancing include 2019 U.S. Women’s Open competitor Reagan Zibilski (141), 2018 Girls’ Junior runner-up Alexa Pano (146), and the duo of Karen Tsuru (142) and Kiara Romero (143), who combined to make four of the five eagles during stroke play.
The cut for match play came at 11-over 151, with nine competitors playing off for four match-play spots.
NOTABLE
Zhang’s 62 matches Christina Kim (2001), Kimberly Kim (2007) and Lucy Li (2018) for the lowest round in Girls’ Junior history.
Zhang had the only bogey-free round of the championship.
Zhang’s father, Henry, followed his daughter in the morning on Tuesday, then caddied for 12-year-old Anna Huang in the afternoon. Huang missed the cut at 16-over 156.
The two players under par in stroke play is the fewest since 2012, when Ariya Jutanugarn was the lone player in red figures.
In the playoff, all four spots were secured with birdies. Yoko Tai and Chloe Johnson advanced on the first playoff hole, the par-3 16th, while Avery Zweig and Lauren Nguyen punched their tickets on No. 17.
The 11-over-par total is the highest cut for match play since 2013, when the cut was also 11 over.
During stroke play, the 409-yard, par-4 10th hole played as the most difficult at 4.55, while the 536-yard, par-5 fifth played as the easiest at 5.08. No holes played under par.
Clare Connolly, a former golf shop assistant at Columbia C.C., shot a 1-under 69 at nearby Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda, Md., on Tuesday to qualify for the 121st U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester C.C. on Aug. 2-8.
QUOTABLE
“The grass type is very different from when I played last year at Woodmont. When I came out in the practice round, I chipped a couple and I was chunking everything. But I was able to adjust the last couple of days. One thing that is the same is how humid it is.” – Zhang, comparing this year’s Girls’ Junior at Columbia and the 2020 Women’s Amateur at Woodmont, about 8 miles away
“It could have been a 59, she played that well. I’ll remember every shot of that round for the rest of my life.” – Doug Hurson, Zhang’s caddie and a two-time club champion at Columbia
“It’s a lot tougher carrying the bag… I was trying to convince her to get the No. 63 seed.” – Steven Fox, Kynadie Adams’ caddie and the 2012 U.S. Amateur champion, who won his title after snagging the second-to-last spot in match play in a 17-for-14 playoff at Cherry Hills. Adams earned the No. 33 seed.
“It was harder this afternoon than yesterday morning. It was hotter. It was windier. I kept putting myself into bad positions, which is not good on this course.” – Kou, on the conditions in Round 2
“It was my first hole of the day. I hit my 5-iron and as I was walking up, I thought it was just on the green, close, but everyone was cheering. It was in the hole, I couldn’t believe it!” – Tsuru, on holing her approach shot for eagle on the par-4 11th in Round 2
“It helped me get my emotions in check. I was much calmer on the first tee than I think I would have been if I hadn’t had that experience.” – Reagan Zibilski, on what she learned from playing in the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open
WHAT'S NEXT
The Round of 64 is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 8 a.m. EDT. The 36-hole championship match is scheduled for Saturday. The semifinals will be broadcast live on Peacock from 3-5 p.m. EDT on Friday and the championship match will be shown live from 1-3 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
CHEVY CHASE, Md. - Results from Tuesday's second round of the 2021 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, played at 6,116-yard, par-70 Columbia Country Club.
Rose Zhang, Irvine, Calif. - 69-62--131
Xin Kou, People's Republic of China - 66-68--134
Bailey Davis, White Plains, Md. - 70-70--140
Reagan Zibilski, Springfield, Mo. - 70-71--141
Kiera Bartholomew, Wake Forest, N.C. - 69-72--141
Yunxuan Zhang, People's Republic of China - 73-69--142
Maria Jose Marin Negrete, Colombia - 72-70--142
Karen Tsuru, Carlsbad, Calif. - 70-72--142
Jordan Fischer, North Ft. Myers, Fla. - 72-70--142
Anna Davis, Spring Valley, Calif. - 72-70--142
Laney Frye, Nicholasville, Ky. - 72-71--143
Kiara Romero, San Jose, Calif. - 73-70--143
Camille Boyd, Seattle, Wash. - 71-72--143
Zoe Antoinette Campos, Valencia, Calif. - 71-72--143
Lion Higo, Australia - 74-70--144
Catherine Rao, Camarillo, Calif. - 76-68--144
Savannah Barber, Fort Worth, Texas - 69-75--144
Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. - 70-74--144
Gracie McGovern, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 73-71--144
Bailey Shoemaker, West Edmeston, N.Y. - 75-69--144
Kennedy Swedick, Albany, N.Y. - 76-69--145
Caroline Canales, Calabasas, Calif. - 73-72--145
Yana Wilson, Henderson, Nev. - 70-75--145
Karoline Tuttle, Lake Mary, Fla. - 73-72--145
Grace Kilcrease, Springdale, Ark. - 71-74--145
Kylie Chong, Torrance, Calif. - 74-71--145
Isabella McCauley, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. - 73-73--146
Alexa Pano, Lake Worth, Fla. - 70-76--146
Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, Philippines - 72-75--147
Chloe Lam, Fountain Valley, Calif. - 70-77--147
Jacqueline Putrino, Lakewood Ranch, Fla. - 73-74--147
Kynadie Adams, Nashville, Tenn. - 75-72--147
Sydney Roberts, Spartanburg, S.C. - 75-72--147
Natalie Cao, Sugar Land, Texas - 75-72--147
Paula Miranda, Mexico - 74-74--148
Sophie Linder, Carthage, Tenn. - 74-74--148
Faith Choi, Frederick, Md. - 71-77--148
Lacey Uchida, Hilo, Hawaii - 75-73--148
Jennifer Cai, Irvine, Calif. - 74-74--148
Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Fla. - 75-73--148
Kylee Choi, Murrieta, Calif. - 73-75--148
Kary Hollenbaugh, New Albany, Ohio - 75-73--148
Sky Sudberry, The Woodlands, Texas - 73-75--148
Esther Lee, Walnut, Calif. - 75-73--148
Emily McKee, Canada - 77-72--149
Erin Lee, Canada - 73-76--149
Antonia Matte, Chile - 73-76--149
Kelly Xu, Claremont, Calif. - 74-75--149
Borina Sutikto, Fremont, Calif. - 77-72--149
Isabella Van der Biest, Kingsport, Tenn. - 75-74--149
Alice Hodge, Larchmont, N.Y. - 75-74--149
Mia Nixon, Martins Mill, Texas - 71-78--149
Addison Klonowski, Naples, Fla. - 74-75--149
Molly Hardwick, Nashville, Tenn. - 72-77--149
Jade Gu, Yardley, Pa. - 73-76--149
Katie Li, Basking Ridge, N.J. - 76-74--150
Caris Kim, Los Altos, Calif. - 74-76--150
Lauren Sammon, Murrieta, Calif. - 73-77--150
Caroline Hwang, Orlando, Fla. - 75-75--150
Lauren Kim, Canada - 75-76--151
Regina Plascencia, Mexico - 72-79--151
Giovanna Fernandez, Paraguay - 79-72--151
Yoko Tai, Singapore - 70-81--151
Chloe Johnson, Evansville, Ind. - 77-74--151
Avery Zweig, McKinney, Texas - 78-73--151
Apelila Galeai, Orem, Utah - 72-79--151
Alexandra Gazzoli, Palm Coast, Fla. - 73-78--151
Lauryn Nguyen, Seattle, Wash. - 75-76--151
Alexia Siehl, Fort Mill, S.C. - 76-76--152
Lexanne Halama, Knoxville, Tenn. - 73-79--152
Lynn Lim, Nashville, Tenn. - 75-77--152
Kyra Ly, Portland, Ore. - 77-75--152
Melanie Walker, Burke, Va. - 74-79--153
Faith Low, Foster City, Calif. - 75-78--153
Nicole Kolbas, Lincoln, Neb. - 73-80--153
Sophia Bae, Norwood, N.J. - 77-76--153
Taylor Riley, San Diego, Calif. - 78-75--153
Grace Holcomb, Wilmington, N.C. - 75-78--153
Emily Odwin, Barbados - 77-77--154
Valeria Ramirez, Colombia - 78-76--154
Camila Madariaga, Mexico - 79-75--154
Kara Carter, Kingsport, Tenn. - 77-77--154
Ali Mulhall, Green River, Wyo. - 79-75--154
Bridget Chantharath, Irvine, Calif. - 80-74--154
Rylie Heflin, Kennett Square, Pa. - 77-77--154
Shannyn Vogler, Moline, Ill. - 82-72--154
Lana Calibuso-Kwee, Wailuku, Hawaii - 78-76--154
Alexa Saldana, Mexico - 74-81--155
Christine Chang, Auburn, Ala. - 75-80--155
Kendall Maynard, Clarksville, Tenn. - 78-77--155
Maggie Ni, Cypress, Texas - 74-81--155
Hannah Harrison, Granite Bay, Calif. - 77-78--155
Maelynn Kim, Katy, Texas - 80-75--155
Tatum Walsh, Midlothian, Va. - 81-74--155
Dianna Lee, San Diego, Calif. - 78-77--155
Mackenzie Moore, Trophy Club, Texas - 77-78--155
Chloe Kim, Whittier, Calif. - 76-79--155
Anna Huang, Canada - 80-76--156
Ashley Lafontaine, Canada - 81-75--156
Chloe Holder, Anderson, S.C. - 78-78--156
Sophia Sulkar, Barrington Hills, Ill. - 80-76--156
Olivia Yun, Carlsbad, Calif. - 80-76--156
Emma Shen, Demarest, N.J. - 80-76--156
Iris Cao, Duluth, Ga. - 81-75--156
Michelle Woo, Fremont, Calif. - 79-77--156
Jenni Roller, Jenks, Okla. - 75-81--156
Mckenzi Hall, Las Vegas, Nev. - 77-79--156
Sophie Thai, Los Altos, Calif. - 78-78--156
Kennedy Knox, Seattle, Wash. - 79-77--156
Kate Tilma, Wichita, Kan. - 80-76--156
Taylor Kehoe, Canada - 75-82--157
Charlene Chung, Hong Kong China - 80-77--157
Reagan Chaney, Ardmore, Okla. - 74-83--157
Grace Lee, Bellevue, Wash. - 78-79--157
Katie Park, Fairfax, Va. - 75-82--157
Catherine Nekola, St. Charles, Ill. - 75-82--157
Alissa C. Xu, Canada - 84-74--158
Jacee Fields, Fort Worth, Texas - 77-81--158
Reagan Gray, Missouri City, Texas - 78-80--158
Mia Hammond, New Albany, Ohio - 75-83--158
Julia Misemer, Overland Park, Kan. - 77-81--158
Alexsandra Lapple, Pinehurst, N.C. - 83-75--158
Teal Matsueda, Honolulu, Hawaii - 78-81--159
Lauren Pham, Las Vegas, Nev. - 82-77--159
Raegan Capizzi, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 79-80--159
Morgan Smith, Westford, Mass. - 81-78--159
Mallorie Luitwieler, Katy, Texas - 81-79--160
Kate Bennett, McKinney, Texas - 76-84--160
Madison Spiess, New Albany, Ohio - 82-78--160
Drew Nienhaus, St. Albans, Mo. - 81-79--160
Victoria Zheng, Canada - 81-80--161
Kathryn Vanarragon, Blaine, Minn. - 79-83--162
Saanvi Kotti, Folsom, Calif. - 82-80--162
Ellen Yu, Greensboro, N.C. - 81-81--162
Anna Howerton, Winston Salem, N.C. - 79-83--162
Natalie Vo, San Jose, Calif. - 83-80--163
Ashley Liu, Plano, Texas - 82-82--164
Yvonne Vinceri, Portland, Ore. - 83-81--164
Mayumi Umezu, Waimea, Hawaii - 84-80--164
Michelle Ding, Canada - 85-80--165
Hailey Han, Duluth, Ga. - 84-81--165
Angelina Kim, Tenafly, N.J. - 82-83--165
Claire Swathwood, Carmel, Ind. - 82-84--166
Molly Smith, Westford, Mass. - 83-83--166
Grace Sinclair, Brandon, Miss. - 85-82--167
Kendall Jackson, Houston, Texas - 83-84--167
Thitaporn Saithip, Thailand - 81-87--168
Malia Cottriel, Costa Mesa, Calif. - 80-88--168
Ava Ray, Franklin, Ind. - 84-84--168
Raleygh Simpson, Kerrville, Texas - 79-89--168
Katelyn Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. - 78-90--168
Lisa Marie Rudometkin, Wesley Chapel, Fla. - 80-88--168
Yetong (Alicia) Qian, Windermere, Fla. - 81-87--168
Shoshana Zuck, Derwood, Md. - 85-87--172
Carlee Rogers, Whitwell, Tenn. - 89-83--172