BELLEVUE, Wash. — It was Rose Zhang bursting onto the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) scene in June as the 20-year-old won her first tournament in her first professional start at the Mizuho Americas Open.
A 14-year-old Zhang was there to take it all in. She's not related to Rose, but her golf swing is nearly as good.
Seattle's Angela Zhang hopes to have a rise just like Rose, and the past two seasons, she's been in full bloom.
"I just play par golf and then add in a couple birdies here and there," she said.
It's a modest way to say she leads the Washington Junior Golf Association (WJGA) girl's standings by almost 100 points.
This comes a year after she earned more points than anyone in WJGA history and became the youngest golfer to win the Washington Women's Amateur.
Her parents are mighty proud. Her dad, Kevin, is on the bag every week.
"He's been to every single tournament with me. He really knows my game better than anyone," Angela said.
The Zhangs moved from Beijing to the United States when Angela was four.
"Just for the kids' education," her mother Binbin said, adding it also gave her daughter more access to sports.
"Right now, thinking back, I think golf is another reason," she said.
Golf was the only reason the Zhangs settled in Seattle. She'll attend Bellevue High School next school year and compete for a team that won the 3A girl's state title by 68 strokes.
The Bellevue School District's Digital Discovery program has allowed Angela to take online classes since 2020. For the past few years, the online school gave her the flexibility to travel to tournaments.
"It's definitely quite a bit different from the average 14-year-old," Angela said.
One of those tournaments was a major championship qualifier, and Angela met the moment.
"At the beginning of the year, if you told me I'd be playing in the U.S. Open, I would not have believed you," she said.
Angela will be the youngest player in the field in the LPGA's oldest tournament.
The shores of Seattle prepared her for the coastline of California's Pebble Beach.
"Such a historic venue. Just really excited for the experience. And maybe a little bit nervous because I've never been on a stage that big," she said.
Angela's mom said it's a chance to go up against the best.
"(We) hope someday that Angela can be like another Rose," she said, relishing that her daughter will go from watching Rose in June to competing against her in July.
Angela meanwhile has a bigger prize in mind.
"To be the best player in the world," she said.