15 questions with ... Madeleine Zang, a Penn women's golf freshman

Madeleine Zang — despite only being on the roster for a couple of months — is already making a name for herself on Penn women’s golf. This past weekend, the freshman traveled with the team to the Yale Fall Invitational and shot a 76, helping the Quakers to a second place finish. The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with her to ask her 15 questions about her golf career, her aspirations for her next four years at Penn, as well as her life off the course. 

1. Can you introduce yourself? 

My name is Madeleine Zang, but my friends usually call me Maddy. I’m from Princeton, N.J., so super close to [Penn]. 

2. How did you first start playing golf? 

I first started playing golf when my dad took me and my younger sister to our local golf course, and then we just started from there. We first just played for fun, and we didn’t play in tournaments until later. 

3. Could you describe a memorable moment or match from your golf career so far?

A couple years back, I had a playoff to win my junior state championship, so that was super intense. I ended up winning the playoffs and it was a huge moment for me because it opened a lot of doors, so that was definitely one of the biggest turning point in my golf career. 

4. What inspired you to pursue golf as a competitive sport?

When I started playing for fun, I didn’t really take it very seriously at all. I played golf along with tennis and violin, so I was just figuring out what I wanted to do. Eventually, I just ended up deciding to pursue golf. 

5. What is your favorite golf course that you've had the opportunity to play on?

I’m a bit biased because I hold a course record at Rossmoor Golf Club in New Jersey, so I definitely have to say that that’s probably my favorite course. But this summer I had the amazing opportunity to go out and play at Bel Air Country Club, which was a beautiful course as well. 

6. Do you have any pre-match routines or superstitions? 

Not necessarily, but when I’m in a tournament or in a round, and I do badly on one hole — if I get a bogey or a double or something — I’ll swap out the ball for a new ball. 

7. Golf is often seen as an individual sport. How does being part of a college golf team impact your game and overall experience?

In high school, I also played team golf, so that was a good segue into the team culture here at Penn. There is definitely another pressure that gets added to being on a team — when you’re out playing on a team, you now want to do well not just for yourself, but also for your team to not let them down. But I think that you always play best when you’re not thinking about those other pressures and when you’re in the zone, so I try not to think about that as much as possible. 

8. Are there any professional golfers who inspire or influence your playing style and approach to the game?

As a kid I really admired Lexi Thompson — she’s just super powerful and she can hit the ball a mile. She has an amazing swing. I’ve always wanted to be a long hitter. Hopefully I’ll get there some day so I really admire her. Also Nelly Korda, incredible golfer, smoothest swing I’ve seen in my life, so I really admire her as well.

9. Golf is known for its etiquette and sportsmanship. Can you share some valuable life lessons you've learned from the sport?

There’s definitely a lot of course etiquette that is a big part of golf — just being courteous to your playing competitors. There’s a lot of downtime between shots, so often times what players do is talk to one another, get to know one another, cause you’re out there for hours and hours at a time. Course etiquette is definitely a big part of the game and that’s probably one of my favorite things— just being able to connect with someone and get to know them. Something else is the patient nature of it. If you’re out there for a long time, it really trains you to be patient and not get overworked. 

10. How do you handle the mental aspects of golf, such as staying focused and managing pressure during a match?

I try to remind myself “play hole by hole, every stroke counts." It’s like a brand new fresh start. I try not to think like “Oh my god, this is where my score’s at right now, I’m doing so bad, I’m doing so great, etc.” I just focus on the fact that there’s a lot of golf left to play and that there’s always going to be a lot of golf left to play. I’m always going to have another tournament, I’m always going to have another round, so one singular shot, one singular hole, one singular round isn’t going to make that much of a difference. 

11. What do you think has made you a good golfer? 

I’ve had a lot of support throughout my golf career from my parents, family, coaches, my friends, etc., so I’d definitely say that’s a big part of my success. My parents raised me to never only be focused on the end result, but rather to be focused on thinking about how to better my own game. It was never about just the score, but it was always more about “how am I hitting the ball?” “how am I progressing?” etc. so I think that has helped me a lot. 

12. What are your future aspirations in golf, both at the college level and beyond?

I’m definitely hoping to play in every tournament and keep up with my golf game and play as much as possible. A big personal goal that I have is to gain some distance while I’m here. We do team workouts, so I’m hoping to build my strength and be able to hit the ball further, and have more stamina on the course. I’m not sure where I’ll be after college because I’m not playing to go professional.

13. What advice would you give to aspiring college golfers or young athletes looking to pursue their passion for the sport?

I’d say that it’s really never too late to get recruited. I was a pretty late bloomer — I didn’t start playing any national tournaments until right before my junior year. So it’s really never too late — if you really want it and if you’re willing to work for it, it’s definitely something that’s within your reach. I have friends who started golf in high school and now they’re being recruited. 

14. If you could choose any historical figure as your honorary caddy for the day, who would you pick? 

I probably would say Rihanna. I really love Rihanna, I listen to her music the most. 

15. What's the most interesting wildlife encounter you've had on the golf course?

That’s a good one, I’ve had so many. The coolest I’ve seen is when I was down in Florida. A crocodile snatched onto a deer and ate it. It’s a little bit gruesome. I heard it happening in the trees and I was like, “Oh my god.”