And three for the American Rose Zhang, who won the Mark H McCormack Medal for the third time in a row for the title of best amateur player in the world.

Rose Zhang crowned for the 3rd time best amateur in the world

Rose Zhang crowned for the 3rd time best amateur in the world – photo credit R&A

American Rose Zhang won the Mark H McCormack Medal for the 2022 World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) Player of the Year title on Wednesday.

This is Zhang's third straight McCormack medal, emulating previous triple medalists, Leona Maguire and Lydia Ko. It's her 101st consecutive week at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking®, just behind Maguire and Ko who hold the record with 135 and 130 weeks at the top of the overall leaderboard.

Zhang had another year of outstanding golf, winning his first three appearances in his freshman year at Stanford at the Molly Collegiate Invitational, Windy City Collegiate Classic and Stanford Intercollegiate. She thus became the first Stanford player – male or female – to win her first three college starts without finishing in the top 10 in her first seven starts.

After earning a tie for 12th at the Augusta Women's National Amateur Championship, Zhang won the NCAA Division 1 Women's Championship by three strokes. On her 19th birthday, she received the ANNIKA Award for College Golfer of the Year. She then clinched Stanford's second NCAA tag team title by winning the final game.

Zhang was instrumental in Team USA's victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup at Merion, winning two of his four matches.

Zhang also performed well in her major championship appearances, winning the Smyth Salver as top amateur at the AIG Women's Open at Muirfield, finishing tied for 40th at the US Women's Open presented by ProMedica and tied for 65th at the The Amundi Evian Championship. Later this month, she will compete for Team USA at the World Women's Amateur Tag Team Championship.

Zhang said, “My amateur career continues to be incredibly rewarding. To be named a McCormack Medal recipient for the third time is a testament to the work I have done and the support of those around me. It caps off an incredible year and it motivates me even more for the coming season.

The R&A and USGA jointly award the McCormack Medal each year. It is named after Mark H McCormack, who founded sports marketing company IMG and was a huge fan of amateur golf.

Professor Steve Otto, Chief Technology Officer at The R&A, said: “Rose has played at an extremely high level over the past three years and has consistently demonstrated just how talented she is as a golfer. I congratulate her on her remarkable achievement in winning the McCormack Medal for the third year in a row. Rose has made a substantial contribution to amateur golf worldwide and is well deserving of this recognition. We look forward to seeing its continued success.

USGA Director of Championships John Bodenhamer said, “Rose continues to do things in the amateur game that we haven't seen in a while. Her talent on the course is unparalleled, but more importantly, the role model she is for the younger generation and the way she represents the game is admirable and inspiring. All of us at the USGA congratulate her on this outstanding achievement and can't wait to see what awaits her next.

The World Amateur Golf Ranking, supported by Rolex, was created in 2007 when the men's ranking was launched. The men's ranking comprises nearly 3 ranking competitions, ranking 300 players in 4 countries. The Women's Rankings was launched in 629 and has a calendar of approximately 110 events with over 2011 ranked players from 2 countries.

About WAGR®
The World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®, which includes a women's ranking and a men's ranking for elite amateur players, is offered by the R&A and USGA as a worldwide service to golf. Through the incorporation and evaluation of amateur and professional events worldwide, WAGR encourages the international development of competitive gaming. The rankings strive to be the most comprehensive and accurate rankings in golf by effectively comparing players around the world who may never face each other directly. It is available to national federations and organizers of amateur and professional events and tours as a criterion for tournament selection and for the purposes of exemptions, national team selection and orders of merit.

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