It’s been a busy golfing season for the reigning NJ.com Girls Golfer of the Year, Rayee Feng. The 17-year-old High School senior from Short Hills, who attends the Pingry School in Bernards Township, has played in 10 tournaments so far in 2025, most notably making it to the semifinals at the U.S. Girls’ Junior in July, where she lost to eventual champion Aphrodite Deng, who is also from Short Hills.
Now, Feng is gearing up for the biggest tournament of the season. Feng will be one of 12 junior golfers (and six girls) from the United States who will compete at the 13th Junior Ryder Cup.
From September 23-25, the Americans will battle the Europeans in two days of foursome and four-ball matches at Nassau Country Club on Long Island before moving on to singles matches at Bethpage Black—the same venue that will host the Ryder Cup from September 26-28.
As the sole golfer from the Garden State, Feng is looking to make her home state proud next week.
Being the only golfer from New Jersey in the Junior Ryder Cup is both an honor and a responsibility. It means I get to represent not just myself, but also my state and all the people who have supported my journey. I am thankful that Governor Phil Murphy gave me a call to congratulate me, and I feel proud to bring a piece of New Jersey onto the international stage. It motivates me to work even harder knowing I’m carrying that identity with me. – AJGA Junior Golfer, Rayee Feng
One recent experience that was particularly valuable to Feng was participating in the LPGA U.S. Women’s Open. In her first taste of senior professional golf this past May and June, Feng finished tied for 51st with a nine-over-par but finished fifth among amateurs. The golfing phenom got to play the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open alongside her idol, reigning Olympic Gold Medalist and newly-inducted LPGA Hall of Famer, Lydia Ko. Feng described what it was like to play alongside a former No. 1 and current No. 3-ranked female golfer.
She always kept really calm during the rounds. So, when she hit a bad shot, she would not show much emotion and calmly move onto her next shot. After our rounds, she was extremely nice to everyone that came out to play with her and watch her, and it was really amazing to get to do that.
Feng also played practice rounds with Rose Zhang, Charley Hull, Allisen Corpuz, and many other professional players. She described what she learned from practicing with the pros.
They would put down fake practice holes where there would potentially be a pin for the tournament. Then, they would only practice chipping or putting from areas where, if they missed a shot, it would end up. So, it was kind of eye-opening because I usually practice my full swing shots. I didn’t really practice, like my short game, and I would practice to a general area where I thought the pin would be, but not really as specifically as them…When they hit a bad shot, they just moved on and practiced their short game to get to know the greens. So, I definitely saw that.
The Ups and Downs
Feng started playing golf when she was six years old. She started by learning how to swing clubs and hit balls at the range, and her first tournament was in the 8-9 age group for U.S. Kids Golf.
I had a lot of fun just hitting balls, so when I played my first tournament, I just wanted to have fun, which I did, and I really enjoyed the competition, so it led me to keep on practicing and keep on playing more tournaments. Now I feel like I enjoy practicing and competition.
Today, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) ranks Feng 22nd among girl golfers, but just a few years ago, she went through the biggest challenge of her golfing career.
I really struggled right after COVID, as I missed many cuts in AJGAs and finished almost last in tournaments. I had spent all my time practicing, and I even switched to an online school for half a year to dedicate myself to golf. But at the time, it was frustrating because I felt like all the work I had put in wasn’t showing in my results.
However, by getting back to basics, she was able to turn her fortunes around.
What helped me push through was focusing on the parts of the game I could control, staying patient, and leaning on the support of my coaches and family. In the end, that experience taught me resilience and that improvement happens slowly over time.
2024 and 2025 have been really good years for Feng, but winning isn’t the only thing she’s taken away from these recent successes. At the Wyndham, Feng gained valuable experience playing foursome and four-ball. Foursome is a format that involves two players on a team taking turns hitting the same ball, while four-ball involves pairs playing against pairs, but each player plays their own ball. Both will be involved at the Junior Ryder Cup, and Feng described what gaining this experience has been like.
The Wyndham Cup was my first experience playing foursome, but I have played four-ball with my women’s amateur four-ball partner. Even though we didn’t qualify, it was really fun. I don’t have that much experience, but it’s great to have played at least some rounds with that format.
Plans for After the Junior Ryder Cup
The Junior Ryder Cup may be the pinnacle of the junior golf circuit, but it’s not the end of the season. Feng described her plans for after the Ryder Cup, which involve balancing golf and school.
After the [Junior] Ryder Cup, I actually have another team tournament, the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) Carey Cup, which I’m really excited for. That’s around October 11. With school starting up, I don’t have any other events until winter break, when I’ll be going down to Florida to keep my game sharp and play in a few tournaments.
Any person who is successful at an occupation or a sport is able to balance work with play. While it may seem like Feng is very busy for a high school senior, she shed some light on where she finds enjoyment in life.
Well, school and golf are completely different things for me, so when I’m studying, I don’t really think about golf. So, it’s kind of a break from golf, which makes it a lot easier if you think about both things as different from each other, instead of focusing on work I have to do. Also, I enjoy going to school, seeing my friends, and actually studying with my friends. I’ve found that to be pretty fun.
Feng also has a strong support network of teachers and classmates who help her stay on top of her studies.
With all the travel, I sometimes miss weeks from school. So, it is a little bit difficult, but thankfully, I have really supportive teachers who have helped me get back on track with the work that I’ve missed, and they’re always there when I have questions about things, so they’ve been really helpful as well.
