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Zhang goes back-to-back at #RolexTOC

ROLEX TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
By AJGA Staff
November 28, 2020

Rose Zhang of Irvine, California, and David Ford of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, won the 43rd Rolex Tournament of Champions at PGA National Resort & Spa.

The Rolex Tournament of Champions features 144 of the best junior golfers in the world from 26 states and seven countries. The tournament assembles the Rolex Junior All-Americans with the past year’s champions to create The Greatest Week in Junior Golf. There are 81 current or former Rolex Junior All-Americans in the field, with a total of 91 AJGA champions competing.

Past winners of the Rolex Tournament of Champions include Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Charles Howell, David Gossett, Webb Simpson, Sam Burns, Heather Farr, Kellee Booth, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel and Alison Lee.

Zhang came into the final round with a three-shot lead at 10-under-par 206. The two-time Rolex Junior Player of the Year kept her playing partners in the hunt as she parred her first four holes of the day before making a birdie on hole No. 5 of the Fazio Course. After making four more pars, Zhang made the turn tied at the top with Xin (Cindy) Kou of (China) Whittier, California.

Despite being tied at the top for the first time since early in round one, Zhang kept her composure and turned up her game heading into the back nine. The Stanford University signee fired four birdies between Nos. 10-15 to pull away from Kou for good. Zhang capped off her second Rolex Tournament of Champions victory in a row with a birdie on the final hole, finishing at 6-under-par 66 on the day. She ultimately won the tournament by four strokes at 16-under-par 272.

“I didn’t want to force anything out on the course since if you do that in golf there’s bound to be mistakes. I just tried to play as solid as possible and whenever I had a birdie chance I tried to convert it.”
– ROSE ZHANG

Zhang is already a two-time AJGA Invitational champion this year with wins at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and The PING Invitational. She now owns 10 AJGA victories. Zhang also won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and finished T11 at the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration this year. She’s No. 1 in both the Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings and the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Kou gave Zhang a run early in the final round as she birdied four of her first six holes. Kou made the turn at 4-under-par 32 with a share of the lead. The University of Southern California signee added two more birdies and a bogey on the back nine to finish at 5-under-par 67 on the day and 12-under-par 276 for the tournament. Kou owns 11 AJGA victories, which is seven short of the all-time Girls Division record. She’s No. 3 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Madison Hewlett of Oldsmar, Florida, and Megha Ganne of Holmdel, New Jersey, finished T3 at 6-under-par 282. Hewlett won the 2019 AJGA Junior at Victoria Hills and is committed to Florida State University. Ganne won the 2018 AJGA Championship presented by Stuart Francis, Princeton Varsity Golf ’74 and is committed to Stanford University. Hewlett is No. 53 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings while Ganne is No. 8.

Lucie Malchirand of Carnoux, France, and Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida, finished T5 at 4-under-par 284. Malchirand finished second at the Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship in January and is No. 30 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings. Pano won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational in March and is a four-time Rolex Junior All-American. Pano is No. 4 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Hyo Joon Jang of Seoul, South Korea, finished seventh at 3-under-par 285. She finished T2 at the AJGA Girls Championship.

Amanda Sambach of Davidson, North Carolina, finished eighth at 2-under-par 286. She won the Rolex Tournament of Champions in 2018.

Izzy M. Pellot of Altamonte Springs, Florida, finished ninth at 1-under-par 287. She owns two AJGA victories.

Bailey Shoemaker of West Edmeston, New York, finished tenth at 1-over-par 289. She’s committed to the University of Southern California.

David Ford full body holding big trophy AJGA hat – 2020 – Rolex Tournament of Champinos.png
Ford entered the final round with a seven-stroke lead at 19-under-par 196. Knowing he was in control of his own destiny, Ford played a steady round of golf on the Champion Course to secure his third AJGA Invitational victory of the year. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill signee carded four birdies and a bogey to finish the final round at 3-under-par 68. Ford won the tournament by seven shots at 22-under-par 264. He was two shots shy of tying the 72-hole AJGA scoring record.

“It’s more the love of the game that motives me and keeps me going. When I have a bad putting day it makes me want to putt for 8 hours and when I hit the ball horribly it makes me want to hit balls until my hands bleed.”
-DAVID FORD

All three of Ford’s AJGA Invitational victories came at venues that host PGA TOUR tournaments. The two-time Rolex Junior All-American won The Junior PLAYERS Championship (The PLAYERS Championship) and the AJGA Invitational at Sedgefield (Wyndham Championship). Ford is No. 2 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Bruce Murphy of Johns Creek, Georgia, finished second at 15-under-par 271. The University of Tennessee commit won the Greenwood Junior Championship and the Rome Junior Classic this year. He’s No. 20 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

Sean-Karl Dobson of Austin, Texas, finished third at 14-under-par 272. His week was highlighted by a final round 6-under-par 65 on the Champion Course, which was the lowest round of the day in the Boys Division. The 2021 AJGA Player Rep is No. 24 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings and committed to Stanford University.

Gordon Sargent of Birmingham, Alabama, finished fourth at 13-under-par 273. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American owns two AJGA victories and is committed to Vanderbilt University. He’s No. 6 in the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

William Love of Atlanta, finished fifth at 11-under-par 275. The Duke University commit won the 2020 Sean Foley Performance Junior Championship.

Scotty Kennon of Bradenton, Florida, finished sixth at 9-under-par 277. The Wake Forest University signee is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American.

Luke Sample of New York, New York, finished seventh at 8-under-par 278. The Duke University signee owns three AJGA victories.

Preston Summerhays of Scottsdale, Arizona; Caleb Surratt of Indian Trail, North Carolina, and Thomas Morrison of Dallas, finished T8 at 7-under-par 279.

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Testimonials

I had the pleasure to be around Rose Zhang the entire day today with her service day with East West Bank I am also an ambassador and navigate their golf sector for them. She is a joy to be around and no coincidence she has had your guidance all her life. Thank you for being such a great role model for all of us, and the future of golf. Although we have never worked together but I’ve known you since I was a junior golfer, and you’ve impacted me in ways you don’t know as well. Whether it’s a quick passing by on the range seeing me and a quick chat, or when you’re slammed with lessons and call me over to give me info about my swing. For all that and more you are the best.
Ben Lein
Ben Lein
Congratulations on the impact you are having on the game of golf by developing young talent in the women's game. Having played at the highest level and know the talent Rose brings to the LPGA, it goes without saying you are making a difference in the lives of those around you. I look forward to getting to know you more.
Lisa Strom,
Head Women's Golf CoachThe Ohio State University
As George’s student for the past 6 years, to say that he has helped my golf game is an understatement. When I first came to him when I was 11, his way of teaching really intrigued me with all the technology he had including Trackman, his side/front swing cameras, and his large TV’s. With the technology and his ability to analyze my swing effectively, my game has really improved greatly in each stage of junior and amateur golf. George has been a critical part of my development as a player both physically and mentally as he has provided me great advice not only in golf but in life as well. I am definitely extremely grateful and blessed to have him as a coach, mentor, and friend.
Rose ZhangNovember 2020
You are a fighter with a kind and big heart to create miracles in your players. We all should learn the life lessons, attitude and the tenacious fighting spirit that you have toward difficulties that you face. The fact that you will drive all the way to The Olympic Club, in San Francisco and back, proves that you are a real champion deserving of all the accolades, titles and trophies that your player’s win. I learned so much in so short a time while spending time with you at The Open. Your hard work ethics are a good path for me to follow. We, and all of those who you touch, owe you a deep, thank you, from the heart. If I had a coach like you, I would give everything I have to fight for victories. It was my honor to push your scooter at The Open.
Enbo Zhang
In this time of Thanksgiving, we want to express our appreciation for you. Working with you has been an amazing opportunity. We appreciate your high standards, your persistence, your encouragement, and your sense of humor.
Chloe Lam and Family
Shot 64 to finish 2nd stage Japan Q-school to finish 3rd!!! It's been a great month of golf for me so far thanks to George Pinnell!
Rory Hie2 time NCAA All-American (USC)
I have been working with George since I was 14. George has given me a tremendous amount of help with all parts of the game including the swing, short game and putting as well as the mental part of my game. George’s knowledge and experience gives him the ability to be direct and speak to what changes should be made to improve my performance. Most important, he loves what he does and he is driven by that love. He cares about, and checks scores, for every single tournament his players compete in, no matter how big or small the tournament is. The information and support he gives to his players is really valuable. George once told me that “a player doesn’t know how good a coach is, until they know how much he or she, cares.” He is really good at reading players minds, so be prepared to communicate. George and I have become good friends during our time spent together during the last few years.
Nicole ZhangNovember, 2020
My first lesson with George was 3 years ago. During my first few classes, George already corrected nearly unnoticeable but very crucial mistakes in just my set up that I had never even realized. His ability to recognize anything from small details to major mistakes has greatly improved the consistency of my swing. Furthermore, George has shown genuine care for my mental and wellbeing outside of lessons when I’m traveling for a golf tournament. He is always there to check in with how I am feeling before and after the rounds. Thanks to George, I am always able to find my confidence again and focus on my game. I am truly grateful for everything George has taught me in both golf and life.
Charissa ShangJunior Ranked Player
Coach George has been a critical factor for my daughter, Angie Zhang, in her golf pursuit. Before our friend referred us to Coach George, Angie was at a standstill and shot in the upper 80s and even 90s with consistent back pain after her freshman Fall season in December 2019. That was very frustrating since she started golf late and had only been playing for two and half years. George graciously took her in and then trained her with his life-lessons, his advanced technology equipment, skillful instructions, and star-student- role-model setting. George quickly put her back on track for progress and health. Within a little over half year, he was able to get Angie's confidence back and she started shooting within 70s which was previously very rare for her. We are so lucky to be working with a truly talented coach. We could not thank George enough for devoting some of his time to Angie's interest!
Yingxia CaoMother of Angie Zhang's
My daughter Alice ziyi Zhao is lucky and proud to have George Pinnell as her golf coach, she likes his teaching very much. she improved much under his good teaching and is on the way to succeed as a junior golfer step by step. His way of teaching golf is very professional, and he is very experienced and nice with good personality. He not only teaches Alice the skill of golf technology , but also he teaches her mental guidance and how to become a good player. He knows how to encourage golfers to face the challenges and he knows everything about the growth of a good junior golfer in the process. He also teaches parents some advanced ideas about golf and how to become a good parent of a good golfer. we learned a lot from him. Thank you for all to George Pinnell!
Elena LiangMother of Alice Ziyi Zhao
For us, Coach George Pinnell has been the best coach ever to help my daughter Alesia Barry succeed as a junior golfer. He is very experienced and is truly an amazing person. And not only does he teach my daughter golf skills, he also coaches her on mental guidance and how to be a better person. And as a parent I learn quite a bit from him as well. He has a very personal style where he has individual chats with her, where he listens to her as much as she listens to him. This is where I think some of the best teaching happens. I only wish we could see him more often.
Victoria ZhangMother of Alesia Barry
Over the past three years, George has been my coach/swing coach. I’ve struggled so much through my high school career, but George was always there to guide me in the right direction. He believes so much in his players and loves what he is doing to help junior golfers grow. Now I’m going to Seattle University on a golf scholarship, I can certainly say that I’ve grow a tremendous amount as an athlete in the golf game and as a wholesome individual because of his genuine care and teachings. Thanks for everything George.
Keisha Lugito
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