Athlete Spotlight

Alyssa Thomas continues to make WNBA history with back-to-back triple-doubles

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

Jack Baer | Ysports

In the span of one year, Alyssa Thomas has become the unquestionable WNBA triple-double queen.

The Connecticut Sun star already had the most triple-doubles in WNBA history with four entering Tuesday, despite not having a single one at this time last year. She was already one of three players to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season, alongside Candace Parker and Sabrina Ionescu. She was already the first person to ever record a triple-double in the WNBA Finals, doing so last year.

Thomas added to that legacy Tuesday with another triple-double in an 89-81 loss to the New York Liberty, giving her unprecedented back-to-back triple-doubles after accomplishing the feat Sunday. She also became the first player to post three triple-doubles in a season, and all of them came within a week’s time.

She finished the game with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, plus four steals, one block and only one turnover.

It took 24 points from Breanna Stewart, a double-double from Jonquel Jones and nine assists from Courtney Vandersloot to get the win for the Liberty, who are starting to look like the super-team they were expected to be before the season.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JUNE 22: Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Connecticut Sun dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center on June 22, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Sun defeated the Lynx 89-68. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) — Alyssa Thomas is doing things the WNBA has never seen. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

In regards to Thomas, let’s put it this way. Counting the playoffs, there have been 23 triple-doubles in the 25-year history of the WNBA. Thomas has posted the last seven, a figure that represents more than 30% of the total.

Add that to a level of defense that made her a Defensive Player of the Year finalist last season, and you have the arguable favorite for WNBA MVP this season.

Incoming Freshmen Bennett and Mardjetko Named Gatorade Players of the Year

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

CHICAGO — Incoming South Carolina softball freshmen Reganne Bennett (Novi, Mich./Novi) and Sage Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) were named the Gatorade Player of the Year in their respective states. It’s the second Player of the Year award for Mardjetko, who also earned the honor in 2022.

In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, the award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. Both are now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced in June.

Bennett, a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher and first baseman, batted .598 with 18 home runs and 20 doubles this past season, leading the Wildcats (25-12-1) to the Division 1, District 19 tournament final. Bennett scored 60 runs and drove in 63 while posting a .664 on-base percentage and a 1.295 slugging percentage. In the circle, she posted an 11-5 record with a 1.12 ERA, fanning 239 in 131 2-3 innings pitched. She is ranked as the nation’s No. 18 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball.

Bennett has volunteered locally with the Novi High School Unified Basketball team, a program that empowers individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to engage through the power of sports. She has also donated her time as an elementary school classroom aide. Bennett has maintained a weighted 4.06 GPA in the classroom.

Mardjetko led Lemont to the back-to-back Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 3A state championships, capping off her career with a 12-inning, 24-strikeout, no-hitter in the state championship on Saturday (June 10). She also threw a no-hitter in the 2022 IHSA state championship. In 2023, the 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher finished with a 23-0 record and a 0.00 ERA, leading the Indians to a 35-1 record. The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, Mardjetko struck out 340 batters while allowing just 18 hits and 21 walks in 143 1-3 innings over 24 games. She fired 12 no-hitters, including two perfect games, and allowed just three unearned runs all season. Mardjetko becomes only the second pitcher in IHSA history to finish a season with a 0.00 ERA (min. 70 innings). Ranked as the nation’s No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball, she also batted .348 with five home runs and a .667 slugging percentage.

A member of the Lemont High School Athletic Council, Mardjetko has volunteered locally with Young Hearts for Life, a heart-health screening program, and as a peer tutor. Mardjetko has maintained a weighted 4.30 GPA in the classroom.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.

Incoming Softball Pitcher Posts Eye-Popping Numbers

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

John Whittle | 24/7 Sports

Incoming pitcher Sage Mardjetko earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in her home state of Illinois.

There’s a huge void on the mound that needs to be filled as Donnie Gobourne finished her one-year career with the South Carolina softball program. There are other pitchers moving on, too, and head coach Beverly Smith went and signed one of the top players in the country to take a leading role on the mound.

Sage Mardjetko, the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for softball in her home state of Illinois, is getting set to come to Columbia with absolutely sterling numbers. In 36 games pitched as a senior this season, Mardjetko threw 143 1/3 innings and didn’t give up a single earned run.

For the second year in a row, she picked up the win in her team’s state championship game by throwing a no-hitter. This year’s was special, not only because it was the final game of her high school career, but it was a 12-inning no hitter that saw her strike out 24 hitters in the game.

In the 143 1/3 innings she pitched this season, she struck out 340 hitters and allowed only 18 hits with 18 walks. Over the course of her season, she tossed 12 no hitters, which included two perfect games.

Mardjetko is considered the No. 10 recruit nationally by Extra Inning Softball, and also hit for her Lemont High School team. Her numbers, which calculated through the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, included a .386 batting average with five home runs and a .754 slugging percentage.

According to a press release from Gatorade, Mardjetko also owns a 4.30 grade point average.

Mardjetko isn’t the only top-flight softball signee for the Gamecocks this offseason. First baseman Reganne Bennett won the Gatorade Player of the Year award in Michigan. Considered the No. 18 recruit nationally, Bennett batted .598 with 18 home runs and 20 doubles this season. She scored 60 runs and drove in 63 while posting a .664 on-base percentage and a 1.295 slugging percentage.

Bennett also featured as a right-handed pitcher and put up great numbers in the circle, too, with an 11-5 record with a 1.12 ERA. She struck out 239 in 131 2/3 innings pitched.

LEMONT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE ILLINOIS SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

Gatorade

CHICAGO (June 9, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Sage Mardjetko of Lemont High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Illinois Softball Player of the Year. Mardjetko is the second Gatorade Illinois Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Lemont High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Mardjetko as Illinois’ best high school softball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Mardjetko joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Jordyn Bahl (2020-21, Papillion-La Vista High School, Neb.), Megan Faraimo (2017-18, Cathedral Catholic High School, Calif.), Rachel Garcia (2014-15, Highland High School, Calif.) and Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Spring High School, Texas). Entering today’s Class 3A state semifinals (June 9), the 5-foot-10 senior right-handed pitcher owned a 21-0 record and a 0.00 ERA, leading the Indians (33-1) to the final four.

The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, Mardjetko struck out 303 batters while allowing just 16 hits and 18 walks in 125.1 innings over 34 games. She fired 11 no-hitters, including two perfect games in that span, and allowed just three unearned runs all season. Ranked as the nation’s No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball, she also batted .386 with five home runs and a .754 slugging percentage. A member of the Lemont High School Athletic Council, Mardjetko has volunteered locally with Young Hearts for Life, a heart-health screening program, and as a peer tutor. “Sage is definitely one of the best pitchers I have seen in a long time,” said Vince Brown, head coach of Thornton Fractional North High School. “She knows how to throw the ball inside, outside, high or low. To me, that’s the definition of a great pitcher.” Mardjetko has maintained a weighted 4.30 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of South Carolina this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport. Two-time winner Mardjetko joins recent Gatorade Illinois Softball Players of the Year Abby Dunning (2020-21, Marist High School), and Bailey Dowling (2019-20 & 2018-19, St. Joseph-Ogden High School), among the state’s list of former award winners. Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through G

atorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations. For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.

UTC Women’s Golf Led by Healey in Arizona

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

Chattanooga Mocs freshman golfer Kera Healey continued her solid run following the turn of the calendar to 2023. The South African turned in her best 54-hole total with a 2-under 214 leading her squad at the Clover Cup on Longbow Gold Club.

Healey’s even-par 72 led the Sunday effort by two ahead of Dorota Zalewska at 74. Carolina Hortian was next with 80 as Nieves Martin’s 82 closed the team scoring. Megan Docherty posted the drop score of 83.

Healey just missed her second top 10 while recording her third straight top 20. Her 214 was good for a tie for 11th. Zalewska joined her in the top 15 tying for 13th with a 1-under 215. Hortian was third at 242 just clear of Docherty’s 244. Martin ended up at 260.

Texas A&M claimed a 15-stroke victory shooting 841. New Mexico was a distant second at 856 with Georgia in third with 860. Tennessee’s Angela Arora won medalist honors with 205.

The Mocs are off until early April hosting the Chattanooga Classic. It’s a 3-day, 54-hole event at Council Fire Golf Club with 18 holes per day beginning on Sunday, April 2, and ending Tuesday, April 4. Admission is free.

Lineup
13th of 14: 304-305-305=914
T11) Kera Healey: 69-73-72=214 (-2)
T13) Dorota Zalewska: 71-73-71=215 (-1)
T69) Carolina Hortian: 87-75-80=242
71) Megan Docherty: 77-84-83=244
75) Nieves Martin: 89-89-82=260

Hortian, Healey Lead Women’s Golf in Finish at Chattanooga Classic

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

CHATTANOOGA—The Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team completed its own Chattanooga Classic with 307 Tuesday at Council Fire Golf Club. That gives the squad a total of 919.

The Mocs finished in 16th, one behind Old Dominion in 15th. Indiana was 14 behind the hometown lasses with Jacksonville another eight behind the Hoosiers. Carolina Hortian and Kera Healey carded 73s to lead the way. Dorota Zalewska added 77, while Megan Docherty chipped in 84.

Zalewska claimed yet another top 20 tying for 18th overall with 219. Healey was next at 226 with Hortian close behind with 228. Docherty and Isabela Yu Lee, who played as an individual, added 246s to the ledge with Nieves Martin rounding out the six totals with 264.

SMU set records in pulling away with the team titles. Today’s 11-under 277 is two better than UTSA’s 279 record set last season adding on to yesterday’s new 36-hole mark of 573 (-3). That means the Mustangs shattered the 54-hole record by 19 shots with 14-under 850. It also meant a 20-stroke win over Xavier in second, although they didn’t leave empty-handed.

The Muskateers’ Emma McMyler held off a late charge for medalist honors tying 2022 champion Anne Chen’s (Duke) scoring mark of 207 (-9). That charge came in the form of SMU’s Michelle Zhang’s 8-under 64, yet another new tourney standard.

The Mocs return to action in two weeks at the Southern Conference Championships. This year’s event returns to an old haunt, Moss Creek Golf Course in Hilton Head, S.C. The 3-day, 54-hole event is April 6-18. Full results, live scoring and pairings, when available, can be found on GoMocs.com’s women’s golf schedule page.

Chattanooga Classic
April 2-4 (Sun-Tue) | 54 holes (18 per day)

Lineup
Team – 16th of 18: 308-304-307=919
T18) Dorota Zalewska: 73-69-77=219 (+3)
T42) Kera Healey: 79-74-73=226
T50) Carolina Hortian: 77-78-73=228
T89) Megan Docherty: 79-83-84=246
T89) Isabella Yu Lee (Ind.): 79-85-82=246
94) Nieves Martin: 87-87-90=264

Course
Council Fire G.C. | Par 72 | 6,209 yards

Field
Chattanooga, Augusta, Campbell, Central Arkansas, Colorado State, ETSU, Grand Canyon, Indiana, Jacksonville, Middle Tennessee, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Old Dominion, USF, SMU, UTSA, Xavier, Yale

History
2009 Lady Mocs Intercollegiate (April 6) | Lookout Mountain GC
Champion: Kentucky: 325 (+37)
Runner-Up: Chattanooga: 326 (+38)
Medalist: Mallory Blackwelder, Kentucky: 77 (+5)

2015 Chattanooga Classic (April 6-7) | Council Fire GC
Champion: Chattanooga: 298-296-293=887 (+23)
Runner-Up: Central Arkansas: 300-301-301=902 (+38)
Medalist: Morgan Ransom, Vanderbilt: 71-72-71=214 (-2)

2021 Chattanooga Classic (March 29-30) | Black Creek GC
Champion: ETSU: 294-296-297=887 (+23)
Runners-Up: Chattanooga & Iowa: 894 (+30)
Medalist: Tereza Melecka, ETSU, 68-72-72=212 (-4)

2022 Chattanooga Classic (March 27-29) | Council Fire GC
Champion: UTSA: 297-279-293=869
Runner-Up: North Florida: 294-284-292=870
Medalist: Anne Chen, Duke, 72-69-66=207 (-9)

Live Scoring
Golfstat

GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.

UTC’s Zalewska, Healey Named To All-SoCon Golf Team

June 29, 2023 by Tara S

Chattanoogan

-Senior Dorota Zalewska and freshman Kera Healey were among the honorees announced today by the Southern Conference in its annual postseason awards. Zalewska repeated on the All-SoCon team, while Healey netted All-Freshman consideration.

“I’m really pleased for Dori and Kera,” Coach Colette Murray shared. “Both have worked really hard this year, and I’m glad to see it recognized.”

It’s Zalewska’s second All-SoCon honor also earning it in 2022. “Dori” led the Mocs with a 72.93 though the Southern Conference Championships. She posted one top 5 and four top 10s for the year and is ranked No. 92 in the latest Golfstat rankings.

Zalewska set numerous season and team records along the way. She owns the marks for season rounds in the 60s (8) as well as career in the 60s (13) and total par or better cards (38). She has two wins, two runners-up, seven top 5s, 13 top 10s and 19 top 20 finishes over her last 24 events. She’s the 29th all-conference pick for the program and ninth to do it multiple times.

Healey is the 15th All-Freshman honoree under Murray. She’s the fourth in a row to get it in an odd-numbered year – Holly Morgan (2017), Rheagan Hall (2019) & Beatriz Barrios (2021).

The native South African averaged 75.83 strokes per 18 growing as the year progressed. She averaged 76.47 in five fall events before shaving more than 1.25 strokes in the spring (75.20). The numbers certainly showed in the results with a top 10 and three top 20s.

The Chattanooga Mocs look eagerly toward Wednesday’s NCAA Selection Show. This year’s NCAA Tournament field is announced at 1 p.m., on the Golf Channel. Zalewska is expected to repeat on her appearance from a year ago.

2023 SoCon Women’s All Conference Teams

All-Conference Team
Dorota Zalewska, Sr., Chattanooga
Hollie Muse, Sr., ETSU
Sophie Bert, So., ETSU
Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman
Chloe Johnson, Fr., Furman
Kate Song, So., Mercer
Grace Holcomb, So., UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Fr., Western Carolina
Elizabeth Lohbauer, So., Western Carolina
Madison Isaacson, 5th, Western Carolina

All-Freshman Team
Kera Healey, Chattanooga
Chloe Johnson, Furman
Faith Johnson, Furman
Julia Baeumken, UNCG
Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina

Player of the Year – Anna Morgan, Sr., Furman

Freshman of the Year – Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina

Coach of the Year – Courtney Gunter, Western Carolina

Alyssa Thomas breaks her own WNBA record with sixth triple-double

June 27, 2023 by Tara S

Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Alyssa Thomas is picking up right were she left off last season, breaking her own WNBA record for triple-doubles for the second time in less than a week.

Her 14-point, 11-rebound and 12-assist performance Sunday, which propelled the Connecticut Sun to an 96-72 victory over the Chicago Sky, came just five days after her first triple-double of the season. Thomas now has six overall in her career, and four in regular-season competition, both WNBA records.

The WNBA is coming off the year of the triple-double, with nine recorded during the 2022 season, including four by Thomas. That includes the first two in WNBA Finals history. She also is the first player with more than two triple-doubles in a single season. Her first four triple-doubles all came after July 21 in the 2022 season.

In addition to Thomas’ staggering success, Candace Parker and Sabrina Ionescu each had two apiece in 2022, and Moriah Jefferson had one.

“I think the game is changing,” Parker said following the third triple-double of her career in June 2022. “I think we’re gonna very soon see this on a nightly basis. We’re going to see those playmakers who have the ball in their hands. So I don’t know how long I’m going to hold onto this. But I’m grateful for this opportunity to play on a team where we can spread the wealth.”

How many triple-doubles have been recorded in WNBA history? There have been 22 triple-doubles in the league’s 27 seasons, with 18 being recorded during the regular season and just four during the playoffs.

Sheryl Swoopes recorded the first playoff triple-double in 2005, while Courtney Vandersloot did so last year. Thomas joined their club in this year’s Finals.

Swoopes, Vandersloot, Thomas, Parker and Ionescu are the only players with multiple triple-doubles in their careers. While 22 triple-doubles have been recorded, they have come from just 11 total players.

Sheryl Swoopes (2)

Swoopes recorded the league’s first-ever triple-double on July 27, 1999, while playing for the Houston Comets. She recorded 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. She would later get her second triple-double on September 3, 2005, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Margo Dydek

While with the Utah Starzz, Dydek had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks on June 7, 2001. Dydek remains the only WNBA player to have recorded a triple-double through blocks and not assists.

Lisa Leslie

Leslie set a new bar on September 9, 2004, recording 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks for the Los Angeles Sparks. That stood as the record for most points in a triple-double until Ionescu broke it in 2022.

Deanna Nolan

On May 21, 2005, Nolan recorded the first of two triple-doubles that year. That season became the first with multiple triple-doubles in a season. She had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the Detroit Shock.

Temeka Johnson

As a member of the Seattle Storm, Johnson recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on July 24, 2014.

Candace Parker (3)

It took nine seasons for Parker to record her first triple-double. On July 28, 2017, she had 11 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists for the Sparks.

Her other two came in 2022, with Parker recording the first triple-double of the year on May 22, with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. While she became the oldest player to record a triple-double in WNBA history in that game, she later became the first player to record three triple-doubles in league history with another one on June 23 (10 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists).

Courtney Vandersloot (2)

Vandersloot recorded the first of her two triple-doubles on July 20, 2018, recording 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. She recorded her second triple-double during the 2021 postseason, notching 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Chelsea Gray

As a member of the Sparks, Gray recorded a triple-double on July 7, 2019. She had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.

Sabrina Ionescu (3)

Ionescu’s first triple-double came on May 18, 2021, as she recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists – the highest point total since Leslie’s triple-double in 2004.

She bested that number with a 27-point, 13-rebound and 12-assist performance on June 12, 2022. Then, against the Aces on July 7, Ionescu set the record for points in a triple-double, recording 31 points – the first 30-plus point triple-double – and adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Moriah Jefferson

Jefferson added her name to the list on June 28, 2022, with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, for the first triple-double in Minnesota Lynx history.

Alyssa Thomas (6)

Thomas recorded the first triple-double of her career and the first in Connecticut Sun history on July 22, 2022. The star forward tallied 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 2, Thomas recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become just the third player in WNBA history to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season — joining Parker and Ionescu, who also did so in 2022.

She added yet another — and the first in WNBA Finals history — on Sept. 15, with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in a Game 3 win against the Las Vegas Aces. Then she followed it up with still another in the team’s Game 4 loss to Las Vegas, notching 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to become the first WNBA player to post back-to-back triple-doubles.

On June 20, 2023, Thomas posted her fifth career triple-double, with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists. And her sixth came just five days later, on June 25, in a 14-point, 11-rebound and 12-assist performance.

Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise with top-10 finish in pro major debut

June 27, 2023 by Tara S

Emma Hruby | Just Women’s Sports

Rose Zhang’s star continues to rise in the LPGA, as she followed up her winning professional debut with a top-10 finish at her first pro major at the Women’s PGA Championship.

The 20-year-old American finished tied for eighth place behind a final-round charge at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. She shot a 67 on Sunday to finish at five under par, three shots back of the lead.

“I would say I’m content with the result. I’m not content with how I played,” Zhang said. “From the beginning of the week, I feel like there’s always room to work on things, and I’m really satisfied with my overall performance, but there’s little mistakes that I made that you just can’t really afford to make.

“I felt really confident with my putter the whole day, and the last couple days I feel like that really saved me this entire week. But the last couple holes, putts fell a little short, they lipped out a little bit.”

Ruoning Yin won the title at eight under par, becoming just the second woman from China to win a major championship. She beat Japan’s Yuka Saso by one stroke, birdying the final hole to join Shanshan Feng in Chinese golf history. Feng won 10 times on the LPGA Tour, though her only major win came at the PGA Championship in 2012.

“I would say she’s definitely the goal that I’m chasing,” Yin said of Feng. “But I think she is the person who inspired me the most.”

For Zhang, who just made the jump from college (where she won back-to-back national titles), the difficulty of the court stood out as the main difference from her past competitions.

“I feel like it’s still golf, so I still felt the same energy as any other event except this is major week, and the golf course is a lot harder,” she said. “It’s playing a lot more difficult. You have to be on your toes at all times. Losing a little bit of focus causes you to have errors, and that’s just something you can’t afford at a major championship.

“But I think that was the different part, was just making sure that you’re still in the moment and you’re still hitting it shot by shot, regardless of what the result is.”

Zhang climbed to within one shot of the lead Sunday before a few mistakes on the back nine sunk her shot at victory. But she still recorded her best-ever finish at a major (she played in several as an amateur), which she called “pretty special.”

“It’s definitely a different dynamic when you’re a professional versus an amateur,” she said. “And when you’re playing your game, you really have to be precise with your numbers, really understand what your swing is doing, and there is no room for error. Therefore, I’m excited to keep working on my game.”

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