On top of the world for a remarkable 131 weeks, Rose Zhang is now the all-time leader for the longest consecutive streak at No. 1 in the Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings. The record became official on Wednesday, with Zhang passing current LPGA Tour star Lydia Ko, who had held the mark of 130.
Zhang’s streak began on Sept. 16, 2020, following her tie for 11th in the LPGA’s ANA Inspiration, where she broke Michelle Wie West’s amateur scoring record at a major.
A sophomore at Stanford, Zhang, 19, shows no signs of slowing down with a torrid college pace. She’s won four consecutive starts and six of her last seven events. Her winning streak began with winning the individual and team 2022 NCAA Championship as a freshman. She’s won nine times total over 16 career tournaments for the Cardinal, tied with Andrea Lee for the most in program history.
In addition, Zhang won the 2022 Annika Award for being the year’s most outstanding collegiate women’s golfer. She sits two wins away from matching the Stanford career-record totals of 11 on the men’s side—held by Tiger Woods, Patrick Rodgers, and Maverick McNealy.
The 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion channeled her collegiate success into consistency in the LPGA majors last year, making the cut in all three she played: the U.S. Women’s Open (T-40), AIG Women’s Open (T-65), and Amundi Evian Championship (T-28).
By virtue of her victory in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge in February, the California native earned her way into another LPGA event, this year’s DIO Implant Open in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., at the end of March. However, she declined the invite, deciding to compete for a fourth time in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where her best finish is a T-3 in 2021.
If Zhang holds onto the No. 1 spot through April 16, she will pass Leona Maguire’s record of 135 total weeks as the top amateur in the world.
Zhang declined to comment through her agent.