Q. Okay, joining me after the second round of the FM Championship is Rose Zhang. Rose, you carded an 8-under today which is the lowest complete round we've seen so far. Can you just talk a little bit about your round, especially since you started it yesterday and had to come back out and finish it today?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I was supposed to be a 1:30, 2:00 tee time; obviously got pushed back because of the three weather delays. I only played up to four holes, but felt like I really hit it off pretty well. Just birdied on 1; was able to birdie 3 and 4 as well before we called out for darkness.
I just remember just trying to putt out 4; made like a 35-footer in the dark. So I was like, all the putting competitions that I've had when I was younger definitely did it justice.
Just say in general I felt very -- I felt much more comfortable out there. I think this year I'm just trying to gain a lot of positives out of a lot of difficulties or stuff stretches and I feel like this is just helping me boost my confidence little by little.
I'm motivated to keep working hard and keep grinding it out.
Q. Talk about that a little bit more. You missed the cut last week and come out today and shoot a 64. How do you balance that up and down that you've had this season?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I think in general I didn't really have that great of a schedule. I was in school earlier this year and then I got injured straight out the bat.
The only events that I really played in were majors this year and majors obviously test all skills of your game. I just didn't have the intuition that I felt like I had last year in the previous years. I really had to keep my mindset very simple, stick to the process. Sometimes it gets discouraging, but I feel like with tough stretches there is still a lot of positivity that goes on.
Even though I missed the cut last week I played really well the first day, and just the second day nothing really went my way. That's just how the game is, and I'm accepting that and also just going for it.
Q. Just finished your second round and you will go out and play your third round also today. How are you managing that, the fatigue?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I think it's a good clean slate. Like I said, I feel like already I've taken a lot of positives out of this week. Regardless of what happens, just going to go out there and kind of do the same thing over again.
But I think I've had experience playing 36 holes back in college and amateur golf, and it is very much a marathon. So there is a lot more golf play, but I'm excited to see more positives.
Q. When you just mentioned you did a little detail, but what are some of the tough stretches? Is it as simple as you were in school and you had an injury? What are some of the other things you feel like you've endured that you're coming through?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I think coming out of winter quarter I took 22 units; kind of took a toll on my body. Then I had neck spasms on both sides of my shoulders, so as a result I was two months immobile, barely moving. Obviously that doesn't help your golf game because you can't even walk properly.
But I will say like I think the patience and the dedication that it takes to come back from all that, and then also I expected myself to play really right out the bat of postinjury. Obviously that's very unrealistic and kind of messes with the mental a little bit. That's kind of the struggle that I endured.
I think now it's, like I said, as simple as it is, sticking to the process and making sure you're getting little bits of positivity in there. It's something that's kind of new to me, but I feel like I've been at a really good trajectory and I'll be able to keep building from there.
Q. Do you mind if I as kind of the timeline? When you were in school, when the injury flared, how long you were -- like when you were immobile and then you came back?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, so January to end of March was winter quarter; barely played much golf there. I was also injured a little bit towards the end of the year last year. It was a different injury, but it all came from the same place.
So it was my left hand last year at the end of the year, and then I got injured right in Arizona. So my first event coming back. Then I pulled out of Vegas and basically just had two months of nothing. Then couldn't play Chevron.
First event was Mizuho and I only hit driver until that Tuesday and then we go from there. So I will say it hasn't been a very smooth sailing year.
Q. How do you just learn to balance even the choice to continue your studies, interrupt your golf game, and you're growing up on Tour. How do you balance that all? It?
ROSE ZHANG: I think at the end of the day it's something I want to do, it's something that I want to gain for myself. So I am going back this fall just to go back to school; then I'll finish up next winter which is really exciting.
But I would say with all the balance, it requires a lot of patience and dedication, reliance on people around you, but also yourself. So I will say it hasn't been very easy, but it's something that I would do all over again, even though it's quite painful.
Q. Communication, I read that in one story. I just wanted to make sure.
ROSE ZHANG: I'm majoring in communications, but I actually haven't been taking my major classes. I'm kind of doing it when I go back.
Q. When you have so much success at a young age, that's great, right? It's great, it's fun, it's awesome. Does it every make it like a little bit harder then when you hit the adversity later, or do you feel equipped you're kind of riding that part of the rollercoaster really and being able to be positive?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I would say this year is the first time I really hit a hard struggle bus in my entire golf career, but I will say I think the success helps in that you know that it's in you, but it also might hinder your look to the present and the future just because you expect way too much out of yourself in your circumstance.
So I think I'm navigating that, and it's helped me grow as a person and even as a player. But we're still trending, we're still on that --
Q. I was just going to ask who kind of you rely on. Like what's your circle, what's the message around you that has kept you on course?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, I've been able to curate an incredible team around me with family, friends, and also my coaches. I have Olly, my coach, Todd Anderson, and a bunch of other people who are very, very encouraging and help me stick to the process. Even my agency, Kevin and Katie, they've been doing great at just helping me have some positivity in my head and just telling me that, you know, everything is fine, let them do the hard work, so --
Q. On the college scene, are you just a regular college student? Does everybody know? Do you live on campus? What's the scene like for you in classes?
ROSE ZHANG: Yeah, so I live just off campus, but I am like five, ten minutes away. I still see my teammates. I still see a lot of my friends. I'm more of a normal college student with a little bit of practice, but I will say I've gotten so deep in my relationships, especially with them doing incredible things. Some people are already creating startups or a lot of them are doing Ph.D.s, grad programs. I'm like, yeah, I'm here playing golf, so it is well cool to see what the scene is.
Q. Last question is just how you'll pass the time before round three.
ROSE ZHANG: Oh, just have a good meal and probably sit around, chill a little bit, and then warm up. I don't think we have too much time to sit around, so, yeah.
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