Fresh off helping Team USA win big in the Solheim Cup, Rose Zhang is now playing in the Kroger Queen City Championship in Maineville, Ohio. Zhang is only in her second season as a professional, and while veterans like Lydia Ko or Megan Khang may be more accustomed to tour life, Zhang still feels like she’s catching up.

Speaking to the press, she was asked to rate her energy levels from 0 to 100 and she said, “My energy levels are definitely running in the lower 50s, just because I think not only was last week really taxing on the mental part of the game, but we were also functioning on five, six hours of sleep every single day.” This amount of sleep for an athlete is extremely low, as the body is shown to recover from taxing physical effort mostly during sleep.

It seems that the schedule organized by the team was rather tight and left little room for athletes to rest. “We’d have 4:30 a.m. bus rides to get to the golf course. We’re there the entire day playing the two matches, and then if you’re not playing you’re in the afternoon watching your teammates.” This schedule was the case during the tournament days.

The time-consuming rounds weren’t the only challenge; post-round duties meant the players got back to their respective homes even later. She also said, “Go home, 8:00. So, you know, it’s just been pretty busy on the sleep schedule. I’m trying to catch up at that point.”

For Zhang and her colleagues, this schedule was far from ideal. Aside from losing sleep and the resulting stress on the body, the lack of recovery time increases the risk of injury. However, despite the toll it took, Zhang felt it was worth it.

A crazy week of golf

With a few days having passed since Team USA’s triumphant return from the Solheim Cup, players have had time to reflect on the victory and the week. Nelly Korda described the week as an “unbelievable and crazy week,” and also as a fun time with the caddies, fellow pros, and everyone on the team.

Just five days after the big win, many Solheim Cup team members, including Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Charley Hull, and seven others from the European team, will also be playing this week in the Kroger Queen City Championship. For her part, Rose Zhang said it was a dream week and one of the best weeks of her life.