Sophomore Andy Zhang ranks fourth on the UF golf team in stroke average at 71.50.
Sophomore Zhang Excited for His Home Stretch as a Gator
Thursday, April 12, 2018 | Men's Golf, Chris Harry
Andrew Zhang, the world's 30th-ranked amateur player, will turn professional after UF finishes its 2018 season.
"That maybe was the most nervous I've ever been in my life," Zhang explained. "Usually, when you get nervous, your heart beats really fast; and when you get really nervous your legs start to shake. But I was so nervous, my hearing actually went away. I couldn't hear a thing."
Zhang, you see, was on the first tee at the U.S. Open at Olympic Club.
Oh, and he was 14 years old.
It's a wonder he could see, much less hear. Or breathe. The kid, though, piped his drive down the center of the fairway, albeit long and into the rough. Zhang made triple-bogey on that first hole, and followed it with a double, then three straight bogeys on the way to a front-nine score of 42. On the back, he shot 37. The next day, he parred each of those first five holes. Though Zhang failed to make the two-round cut, he succeeded in becoming the youngest player ever to play in the Open, and four years later had that notoriety on his resume of the nation's No. 1 collegiate prospect when he signed with Florida.
Zhang, now 20, has yet to win a tournament as a collegiate player, but nonetheless is ranked as the world's No. 30 amateur player heading into this weekend's trip to Nashville, Tenn., site of the Vanderbilt-hosted Mason Rudolph, the final tournament before the sixth-ranked Gators embark on the postseason.
After that, come what may, Zhang will turn professional.
"This has been his dream for a long time, and he's in a very unique situation as far as his financial means. I'm going to support it," UF coach J.C. Deacon said. "He'll be a Florida Gator the rest of his life, but hopefully he'll have some hardware to send him off to the next level."
Zhang (pronounced "Jong") already has a packed trophy case, courtesy of one of the most spectacular junior golf careers ever amassed. A native of Beijing, young Andy was first handed a golf club by his father at age 6 and instantly was hitting the ball straight and true. He had a coach at 7, was playing in tournaments at 8, and at 10 qualified for the World Junior Championships. He had to come to the U.S. for those — and never left.
After qualifying at Torrey Pines in LaJolla, Calif., Zhang went across the country and won the world championship of his age group at Pinehurst, N.C.. His father, a prominent business man in China, got Zhang and his mother a permanent home in Orlando (and his son entry to the elite Leadbetter Academy), where he learned to master both English and the game he was born to play.
Four years later, young Andy was in a practice round at the U.S. Open with reigning Master's champion Bubba Watson, and was the subject of press tent queries directed at the most famous players on the planet.
* Said Watson: "It was fun getting to know him. He was nervous, didn't talk much. Maybe I just talk too much. But it was cool. Hearing the story, talking to his caddie and him about how they got in and what all happened for them to get in. It was fun getting to meet him and watching a talent like that."
* Rory McElroy: "When I was 14, I was getting prepared to play in my club championship, not the U.S. Open, so I'm not sure I could give him any words of wisdom. Just go out there and enjoy it. It's an unbelievable experience for someone so young."
* Tiger Woods: "I tried [to qualify] when I was 15, but didn't make it. He qualified, he earned that spot. You're not too young if you can do it. That's the great thing about this game; it's not handed to you. You have to go out and put up the numbers — and Andy did."
The experience left Zhang utterly overwhelmed. At one point, Zhang asked his caddy if it'd be OK to ask players for autographs. No, Zhang was told.
"You'll be signing them, instead."
If Zhang left the event with a bigger head than when he arrived, both the course and the following two years provided a reminder of just how humbling the game can be.
"I went into a big slump," he said. "When you play in the U.S. Open at 14, most likely it's something of a fluke or you need a lot of luck. I was not as good as I was on that day [of qualifying]. So when I started not performing or posting the scores I thought I could, I got frustrated. I tried to find answers, my parents tried to find answers. But you have to keep playing. What I think I figured out along the way was that false expectations were contributing to those two years of frustration."
It was during that period that Zhang, with some pushback from his mother and father, began seriously considering playing a year of college golf, rather than jumping from high school to the professional ranks. His parents were for the former and actually thought college would be a waste of their son's time. But for Zhang, the thought of being just good enough to have to grind in smaller tournaments on lesser tours and take that road to the PGA wasn't appealing.
Deacon knew he was getting a prodigious talent, but was even more impressed when he got to see Zhang's work ethic up close.
Like the time the team reported for one of its 6:15 a.m. conditioning sessions. Afterward, Deacon went back to his office and took a seat behind his desk, only to look out the window and see Zhang making his way toward the driving range with a member of the greens crew. Deacon watched as Zhang hit distance wedges at various circle targets around the flags, while his helper — by cell phone — relayed how close the shots had settled.
"Most guys go home and go back to sleep," Deacon said. "That just told me, 'Damn! He's 18 years old and already has that kind of discipline and work ethic.' I understood."
In 2016-17, Zhang recorded a pair of top-10 finishes, completed four tournaments at or below par, had a season-low round of 66 and was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team. Not bad, for your garden-variety college rookie … but for a prodigy?
Hence, the very mature decision to delay his professional quest and return to the Gators for his sophomore year.
This season, Zhang is fourth on the team in stroke average (71.50), with one top-five finish and his best showing a tie for third. Again, not bad … but for a player turning pro in two months?
Zhang has this view of his time at Florida: "Obviously, I've gained a lot as a player, especially when it comes to my strategic approach and course management. I've learned more about that part of my game last two years than I did in all the years before I got here. But to be able to live on my own for almost two years and handle a lot of things and make decisions without anyone's help — my parents have always been very protective — that's what I've gained the most. I've matured as a person and that's going to help me down the line."
The "down the line" part is getting close. After this weekend in Tennessee, the Gators have the SEC Championships at Sea Island, Ga., in two weeks, then it's on to NCAA play where the team hopes to atone for what was, frankly, a nightmare showing in 2017. UF, the regional top seed and ranked fifth nationally, finished eighth and failed even to qualify for the NCAA championship field.
If Zhang is about to take the next step, as Deacon predicts, this would be an opportune time. For both he and his teammates.
"I lie awake at night sometimes wondering why it hasn't happened for him, yet," Deacon said. "I love this kid to death. He works hard, he's disciplined and humble, wants to learn and works on all his weaknesses. He's doing everything to get to that next level. That's why I really, truly believe it's going to happen."
So does Zhang.
"The opportunity to win still is very exciting," he said. "These last few weeks represent my last go-around as a Gator. It's funny saying that because I said the same thing last year at this time. I came back for one more year. Just one. So I'm excited about these last few matches with my guys and seeing how it works out."
Nerves won't be an issue.
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