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Women’s Am champs Rose Zhang, Gabriela Ruffels more seasoned in second U.S. Women’s Open starts

Among the 24 amateurs in the U.S. Women’s Open field, it would be hard to argue that anyone has as stout a 2020 résumé as Rose Zhang.

At the start of her Wednesday news conference, Zhang was presented with the Mark H. McCormack Medal, her award for rising to the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The top 20 amateurs in that ranking were exempt into the field this week.

Zhang, who signed her National Letter of Intent to play for Stanford last month, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in August. She won three other American Junior Golf Association titles, including her latest one over the Thanksgiving weekend, and was that organization’s player of the year, too.

This will be her second Women’s Open after finishing T-55 in 2019 at the Country Club of Charleston.

USWO: Leaderboard | Photos | TV info

“I feel like golf is a very difficult sport and the USGA has really set up the course to make it extremely difficult this week, but I’m just really prepared to try to play the best that I can,” she said. “Obviously it’s going to be a grind, but overall I’m just looking forward to a great week.”

Zhang’s initial reaction to Champions Golf Club? It’s long. You have to know your way around the greens, she said, but the fairways are wide and forgiving. Solid ballstriking will be rewarded.

In addition to all those junior and amateur accolades, Zhang scored a T-11 finish at the ANA Inspiration in September, another LPGA major.

She left that tournament realizing she needed more work on her short game, needed to sharpen her irons, hit the fairway more often and gain a little distance. Most importantly, she kept a laser eye on how LPGA players prepare for a tournament and how they still fit in everything – like workouts and practice – even when they’re on the road every week.

“They weren’t hitting as many golf balls, they weren’t even putting as much,” she told Golfweek last month. “They were more just getting a feel of the course.

“I would be one of the juniors who would practice a little less during practice rounds and it seemed to me that I was practicing more than these pros out here, so it was definitely very different.”

Zhang played a memorable Women’s Amateur title match against defending champion Gabriela Ruffels in August, defeating her on the 38th hole. Ruffels, along with two other USC teammates – Amelia Garvey and Allisen Corpuz – is in this USWO field courtesy of her 2019 Women’s Am title.

This week’s USGA tagline is #womenworthwatching, and many PGA Tour players are drumming up social-media support for the tournament. Others have offered support in different ways. During an early-week practice round, Ruffels got some advice from fellow Australian Steve Elkington. He walked five holes of the Jackrabbit course’s back nine with Ruffels and her teammates.

2020 U.S. Women's Open
2020 U.S. Women's Open

Gabriela Ruffels plays a shot in the practice area before the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston. (Robert Beck/USGA)

Ruffels, of course, benefits from playing with her older brother Ryan, who competes on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I always think it’s good to practice with guys because they always, like shaping shots and being creative out there, even with short game,” she said. “I feel like that has really helped me. Even trying to hit it further to keep up with them.”

Ruffels missed the cut at last year’s Women’s Open but at the ANA this fall, she wasn’t too far behind Zhang. She finished 15th. Every start like that matters.

“Last time I was just fascinated to be there and looking around at all these great players,” she said, “being able to play in more LPGA events and even the past two majors, I’ve been able to kind of see what it’s all like and I feel like I’m more comfortable here now.”

Beth Ann Nichols contributed reporting.

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