“The rough is super thick”: Rose Zhang reacts to the ‘different’ Baltusrol course

Rose Zhang feels the course for the 2023 KPMG Women's PGA Championship has certainly delivered. Expected to be one of the most intense events on the tour this year, the PGA Championship is being held at the Bartrusol Lower Course in Florida.

The course is quite different, to say the least. The rough on the course is like no other, made with grass of 11 different strains, chosen carefully and maintained by the Bartrusol team. Players on the course also have to adapt to the thick rough.

Rose Zhang spoke about her change in technique on the course via GOLF.com:

“The rough is super thick. The chipping techniques that I’ve been using this week are definitely different from any other chipping techniques that I’ve been using.”

The rough is not only thick but it is also just as brutally long. The rough stops the clubface from moving through smoothly, making it all the harder for golfers to hit hard. The key on the course is hitting fairways.

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Rose Zhang, Nelly Korda find Baltusrol course grass challenging

Rose Zhang hit nine fairways out of 14 in the first round and requires something special to stay one step ahead of the Lower Course.

“I had great course management. I made a lot of clutch par putts, showed that I had the grind in me, and anyone who shoots red figures here should be pretty proud of what they were doing out there,” Zhang said.

Nelly Korda too, said the key to navigating the course was hitting fairways. The rough is too thick and Korda struggled to maintain accuracy all throughout the first round. Ultimately, she did not make the cut.

“You need to hit the fairways. I feel like just in general, this rough is really thick. I’ve tried to hit 6-irons out and they come out as knuckleballs and dead left,” Korda said.

The Bartusrol course has a long history in the golf world. It has been the location for seven US Opens and two PGA Championships. The likes of Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus are just some of the names to have won on this tough course.