World No. 1 Women’s Amateur Golfer Rose Zhang becomes First Student-Athlete to Sign NIL Endorsement Agreement with adidas

• Signing strikes model into subsequent part of equitable and wide-sweeping NIL program with particular person student-athlete partnerships

Rose Zhang enters the U.S. Ladies’s Open this week as one of the best feminine beginner golfer on the planet, having not too long ago added “Nationwide Champion” to her rising listing of achievements after profitable each the person and staff titles on the 2022 NCAA D1 Ladies’s Golf Championship.

As we speak, she makes historical past once more by turning into the primary student-athlete to affix staff adidas by coming into right into a Title, Picture and Likeness endorsement settlement with the model. Earlier this 12 months, adidas announced the primary wide-sweeping, equitable and inclusive NIL community reaching greater than 50,000 eligible student-athletes throughout 23 sports activities and all genders at 109 D1 universities.

This announcement strikes the model into the subsequent part of its NIL program as adidas begins to welcome particular person student-athletes as model ambassadors, the primary group of whom will probably be girls competing in a number of totally different sports activities. As a part of her multi-year contract with adidas, Rose will proudly symbolize the 3-Stripes each on and off the course in all competitors, coaching, and different play exterior her college staff obligations. She can even function in model advertising campaigns selling the latest merchandise in golf attire and footwear.

“adidas has been a serious a part of a few of my greatest wins as an beginner, so that is an thrilling second for me,” mentioned Zhang. “I’m most snug carrying the 3-Stripes on the course and might’t look forward to what’s forward.”

For greater than two years, Zhang has held the highest spot in girls’s beginner golf. She’s a two-time AJGA Participant of the 12 months (2019, 2020) and has represented the USA on the Junior Solheim Cup (2017, 2019), Junior Ryder Cup (2018) and Curtis Cup (2021) groups, all of which have been victorious. Maybe her greatest triumph to this point, at simply 17 years outdated, Rose grew to become the primary lady in historical past to win the U.S. Ladies’s Beginner (2020) earlier than profitable the U.S. Women’ Junior (2021).

“We’re comfortable to formally welcome Rose to the adidas household,” mentioned Rupert Campbell, president of adidas North America. “Rose embodies a profitable Unimaginable is Nothing angle on the golf course and we’re excited to start out this new chapter of working with student-athletes.”

This week marks Rose’s fourth consecutive begin on the U.S. Ladies’s Open, having certified as an beginner for each championship since 2019.

“Rose is a unprecedented athlete, a class-act each on and off the golf course and is decided to be one of the best on the planet each single day,” mentioned Tim McNulty, world director of sports activities advertising, adidas Golf. “Having Rose be part of staff adidas is one thing we’ve been trying ahead to for fairly a while, and we look ahead to supporting her as she continues to make her mark on girls’s golf around the globe.”

Whereas Rose is the primary student-athlete to signal a NIL endorsement settlement with adidas, that is simply the beginning. The model will share extra quickly concerning the first wave of Rose’s fellow particular person girls student-athletes who’re becoming a member of staff adidas and the way adidas is investing in equality initiatives aimed toward growing consciousness and illustration to make sport accessible to all.