The 2025 Founders Cup was a roller-coaster ride through all four rounds for many fans. At one point, it seemed that Nelly Korda would come out on top again and win the 16th LPGA Tour title of her career. But she was shockingly left behind by the likes of Megan Khang, Hannah Green, and the 3x tournament winner; Jin Young Ko. In the end, it was Yealimi Noh who came out on top to lift the 2025 Founders Cup.

However, something was missing in the tournament this year. And no, we’re not talking about Cognizant pulling out as the event’s sponsor this year. While that is still an issue, what fans didn’t get to see in the tournament was the Founders Cup defending champion on the course.

Yes, Rose Zhang had withdrawn from the event. It was a major shock considering that she had played the season-opening tournament, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions just a week ago. However, the American pro golfer had a valid reason for not playing at Bradenton Golf Course in Florida from February 6-9, 2025. The 21-year-old is currently pursuing her education at Stanford University. Zhang has been studying for her Communications degree since 2021. But, due to her commitments to professional golf, she is only able to take the winter quarter classes. That means, Rose Zhang will graduate from the course in 2027.

However, that did not stop her from cheering on the young golf players at the Stanford Golf Course. The 2x LPGA Tour winner was seen supporting the young talents at the American Jr. Golf Association. In fact, one of the players also showed her appreciation for Rose Zhang’s efforts. 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur Runner-up; Asterisk Talley said, “Rose is such an inspiration to all of us”. Commending her commitment to helping young players, she added, “It’s wonderful that she returns to support us at tournaments where she achieved so much as a junior”.

American Jr. Golf Association’s official Instagram account shared this statement from Talley with a caption, “Setting the pace! Asterisk Talley (-7) holds a two shot lead after the opening round. #FortinetGirls | @Fortinet”. After the first round of play, Talley was leading the rankings with a 7-under par 64 at the Stanford Golf Course.

Rose Zhang’s positive impact on young and aspiring golfers deserves the spotlight. But when will she be coming back to the LPGA Tour? Let’s explore her next possible tournament.

When will Rose Zhang return to the course?

There is no question that Rose Zhang has her priorities set. But the 2x LPGA Tour winner will have to eventually come back to the course to compete again. We might have a clue as to when Zhang will be coming back to professional golf.

As the 21-year-old stated, she is focused on completing her education for the winter quarter. Hence, we can’t expect her to disturb her schedule and make an abrupt return to the course. As Zhang has already mentioned, “This year was more to balance out my entire lifestyle”. And the best way to maintain that balance would be to return to the LPGA Tour only after Stanford University’s winter quarter is completed. Based on the official website of the Californian University, the winter quarter is scheduled to end on March 14, 2025.

Going back to the LPGA Tour schedule, the next 3 events are the Honda LPGA Thailand, the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and the Blue Bay LPGA. All of them are scheduled for completion before March 14, 2025. Hence, Rose Zhang can’t be expected to play in either of them. However, we might see her participate in the 2025 Ford Championship from March 27-30. Interestingly, that is also the next event where Zhang is also a part of the player list. So it’s a realistic possibility that we will see the 21-year-old at the Whirlwind Golf Club at the end of March.

Having said that, do you think Rose Zhang will clinch a title in 2025? You can share your opinion in the comments section.