Team USA wins the Junior Ryder Cup

The United States Team won the 13th Junior Ryder Cup presented by HPE in Glen Cove, New York, with a 17.5 to 12.5 victory over Team Europe.

With 12 points being awarded in the singles matches at the historic Nassau Country Club, the US team needed 5.5 points to reclaim the Junior Ryder Cup from Europe. After nine holes, they trailed in nine matches, and those 5.5 points seemed a long way off. However, if both teams learned one thing this week in a choppy contest, it's that no lead is safe and nothing is guaranteed.

Team USA turns the tables

"We were behind for a long time this morning, and these kids just fought so hard and got the job done," said US team captain Suzy Whaley, a PGA Masters Professional. "They saw a sea of blue on the scoreboard and knew exactly where they stood. They showed grit, perseverance and didn't give up." Slowly, but surely, the scoreboard began to turn red, indicating that the US team was gaining momentum.

Anna Fang from San Diego, who chose to play at Stanford University, took the first point for the USA as one of the few Americans to lead through the first nine holes. She won her match 5&3 against Nagore Martinez from Spain. Also committed to Stanford and ranked 12th in the world, amateur Asterisk Talley earned the next point for the U.S. by winning 1-under against Charlotte Naughton of England, who nearly erased a four-hole deficit after 14 holes.

"Don't worry about it, coach"

Of the 8.5 points secured by the USA, two stood out for Whaley: Rayee Feng of New Jersey and Hamilton Coleman of Georgia.

"When I talked to them this morning, they both said, 'Don't worry coach, I'll get the job done,' and that's exactly what they did, and I couldn't be more proud of them. I couldn't be prouder of all twelve of these incredible golfers." Feng, one of Whaley's two captain's picks, was 1-down after five holes against Spain's Louise Uma Landgraf. She then took control of the match with wins on holes 7, 9 and 10, making consecutive Birdies on holes 9 and 10.

Feng was 3-over after 14 holes and, with the U.S. just one point shy of regaining the Cup, won hole 15 with a par. "I actually didn't know it was the last point I needed," Feng said. "A lot of my teammates were cheering because they knew it was the winning point. It was awesome to play for this country and on this team."

"It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had," Coleman said of the week. "I'm not just playing for myself, I'm playing for my country." Coleman, the 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, won his match 2&1 against John Doyle of Ireland.

Stephen Gallacher praises his team

Team Europe picked up 4.5 points on the day, including Frenchman Hugo Le Goff's 4&3 victory over top-ranked Miles Russell in the US Boys' Rankings. "I'm very proud of my team," said European captain Stephen Gallacher. "They fought extremely hard right to the end and are not only fantastic golfers, but also fantastic people. Their body language, their commitment to the team was so professional from everyone."

The win improves the USA's overall record at the Junior Ryder Cup to 8-4-1, and for captain Whaley it is a goal achieved by the whole team. She had looked forward to her time as Junior Ryder Cup captain for years, but wants to make one thing clear. "Being the captain of a team comes with a lot of responsibility, but it wasn't just up to me," Whaley said. "This was a team effort for Team USA to bring this Cup home and set the tone for tomorrow's Ryder Cup, and that's exactly what we did."

The US Junior Ryder Cup Team will celebrate its victory by participating in the opening day of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

(Text: PGA of America)