Rose Zhang's historic victory in her LPGA Tour debut earlier this month caught the eye of U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis.
Lewis said she originally was looking at the former Stanford star for the 2024 competition in Virginia, but Zhang's win at the Mizuho Americas Open put her in the running for the 2023 event in Spain.
"As captain, I'm excited," Lewis told reporters Wednesday at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Springfield, N.J. "I had her on my radar just more for 2024 because I knew it would be hard for her to win because that was the only way she was going to have a chance to play for '23 was for her to win.
"So I've been following her, and now obviously we're following things a little bit more closely."
Zhang, 20, defeated Jennifer Kupcho on the second playoff hole to become the first woman since Beverly Hanson in 1951 to win her first LPGA Tour event.
Zhang has jumped to No. 64 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. The top seven players on the U.S. points list will earn automatic spots on the 12-player team for the Solheim Cup, as will the top two players in the world rankings who are not already qualified. The remaining three roster spots are captain's picks.
"She's obviously moving up Rolex pretty quickly," Lewis said. "I'd love for her to make it on her own and take the decision out of my hands."
Lewis said Wednesday that her decisions will be more data-driven than in the past thanks to advances at KPMG.
"They have a lot of data, a lot of research on the four-ball and the foursome format of what types of players play best in those formats, and it's completely changed my mindset on what type of players you put in those situations," she said.
"I think it's going to really help us. I think it's given me some clarity on why we've struggled in the past in certain formats, so I'm excited to hopefully see it work out a little bit better for us."
The 2023 Solheim Cup takes place from Sept. 22-24 at Finca Cortesin in Spain.
The 12 American golfers Lewis will lead this year will attempt to recapture the Solheim Cup from Team Europe, which won the 2021 event 15-13 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
Normally held every two years, the Solheim Cup is being played in both 2023 and 2024 to allow the event to be staged on an even-year schedule.
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