Rose Zhang wraps up Stanford degree with 10-page paper on brewing beer

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Rose Zhang has a 10-page paper on beer brewing due Thursday. It’s the final piece of her Stanford degree, and as of Tuesday afternoon, she hadn’t yet started.

Zhang, for the record, doesn’t drink. “It's actually an archeology class,” said Zhang, who went on to talk about microgranules and random molds. Zhang’s degree will be in communications, but she has taken an interest lately in international relations, trying to create peace models for the Middle East.

This week’s Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park takes place down the street from Stanford’s Palo Alto campus. Though she has won twice on tour in three seasons, Zhang has never had both feet fully planted on the LPGA. “I would say I did have to put in a lot of time and energy into thinking about why I wanted to do these things,” said Zhang, “about why I wanted to play tour golf, go to college, everything in between.

” For 22-year-old Zhang, these years at Stanford have filled her cup in two main ways: community and faith. The friends she met freshman year are still close. She thrived in a team environment, winning 12 times in two years of college golf.