U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 15, 2026

Jay Leng

Merion Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Jay Leng, in the championship match of the U.S. Amateur. Can you talk about how you're feeling right now?

JAY LENG JR: I'm tired. I'm at a loss for words still. It hasn't sunk in yet. I don't really know.

Q. Can you talk about your match today? What did it take to finally get it over with and moving on to tomorrow?

JAY LENG JR: Yeah, it kind of showed how unpredictable match play is. Me and Logan have been playing great golf all week, all summer. I knew it was going to be a battle out there. But both didn't get off to the greatest of starts, a couple bogeys here and there, made a mess out of hole 4. I don't know if we tied maybe three holes after the first 12, and then I was 1-up going into 14 and he kind of hooked it, and I asked the rules official where is his ball, and he said the left bunker. I knew that was pretty bad. I was like, if I hit the fairway here, I should be fine, and I wipe it like 40 yards right and dump it in the bunker, and I somehow tied the hole. But good shot on 15, kind of gave me back my momentum going 2-up with three to go, so I knew I was in a good spot there.

But for tomorrow, I think I'm going to need to play a little better.

Q. When you're going through a match that's so back and forth, how do you stay mentally focused and how do you keep focusing on the next shot at a time?

JAY LENG JR: For today with not my best stuff, I tried just slowing down a little bit, trying to reset before every shot, not trying to go down a landslide, just tried to take it one shot at a time and do what I know that I can do.

Q. People talk about the semifinals as maybe the toughest one to win because of all the stuff that comes your way when you get to the finals. Did you feel that today waking up preparing for this match?

JAY LENG JR: You know, I did. I was very confident going into today. Then had a good range session. Better than yesterday. Then after the first few holes, kind of the greens were really firm, way faster, and there were so many people, and it kind of just took me by surprise, I guess. I was a little bit more nervous than I thought, and my game wasn't very sharp today. But it was a good learning experience for tomorrow.

Q. Can you talk about the confidence you've gained since the start of the summer? Your college season was okay, but it seems like from the Northeast Amateur on it's been another level of golf. Where is that confidence?

JAY LENG JR: I'd say it started a little bit before the summer. Had a few good finishes, like three or four top 10s in a row. Then at the beginning of the summer I started playing some really good golf at my home course actually. Every round I would just birdie every other hole, and it kind of just gave me confidence, even though my home course is pretty easy. But playing the Northeast helped, and then Southern, Western, it all adds up.

Q. What's your home golf course?

JAY LENG JR: It's the Grand Golf Club.

Q. Can you put into perspective what's gone on this summer? If you think about your performances, runner-up at the Northeast, top 5 at Southern, then you win the Western, which is one of the oldest championships in amateur golf, and now what's going on this week?

JAY LENG JR: You know, right now I'm not really trying to think about that, but I'm sure if I look back on it in a few years or a few months, I'll be like, that was a pretty good summer.

Q. What do you think it's going to take to get it done tomorrow? Is there anything you're going to be focusing on going into the championship round?

JAY LENG JR: I think looking at the conditions today and predicting how it's going to be tomorrow, I think a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. Maybe more pars than aggressive shots going into the greens, as I've seen before this week.

I think it was kind of a little bit more scorable before earlier in the week, and now it's kind of pars are mostly pretty good. So I'm just going to try and hit the ball in the fairway and hit it on the green and try and give myself as many looks as possible, maybe not fire at every pin.

Q. Do you prepare differently for a 36-hole final than you would for an 18-hole match?

JAY LENG JR: I haven't, but I played a few 36-hole days at the Western, so that kind of prepared me, I think.

Q. What did your former teammate Evan tell you?

JAY LENG JR: So Evan is my Torrey Pines teammate and he played this week and made the round of 32, and Logan beat him, so I got his revenge (laughter). My friend Matthew is also my Torrey Pines teammate. I didn't know he was coming until probably five minutes before I teed off.

Q. What's his last name?

JAY LENG JR: Matthew Broder.

Q. To know you have a spot in the U.S. Open and the Masters next year, what does that mean to you, to know that you're going to be able to go play those historic courses, historic tournaments?

JAY LENG JR: It's pretty awesome. I watch the Masters every year. Back in high school, I'd watch it during my classes and just dream of playing it.

I did play the Drive, Chip & Putt there a few times, but I've only hit like 12 shots there, so I haven't really played the course or anything. But it hasn't sunk in yet. I guess it'll make it a little easier tomorrow to play free and confident, and knowing at least whatever happens, I've got those two. But I'm feeling pretty confident going out there tomorrow.

Q. How do you go about keeping the motivation to win this tournament knowing that you have those two places locked up?

JAY LENG JR: I've kind of done the same thing the whole summer. I've kind of just had something to prove and played free and confident, and only I know what I'm truly capable of, and I guess that's enough for me to play well.

Q. What about playing Pebble Beach? You're a Stanford kid; Pebble Beach is just down the road. Have you played it? To play a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, what would that mean to a California kid?

JAY LENG JR: I just remembered that. It'll be awesome. I've only played it once, but it'll be pretty cool playing where Tiger dominated and where there's been so many great tournaments. I've always wanted to play a U.S. Open, especially at either Torrey or Pebble or anywhere really.

Q. It's been said that today is the hardest day with the nerves and the pressure. How do you describe what you were feeling as you rode the roller coaster knowing everything that was on the line?

JAY LENG JR: I didn't think I was going to feel it that much, and after a few holes, didn't know what was going on. I kind of let it slip a little bit, let him win a few holes, kind of gave him a few holes.

I don't really know when the turning point would be, but at the latest, 15 there with that birdie was huge, getting the thumbs up after I hit that shot from my friends.

Q. How did the Masters and the U.S. Open play into your mind as you were maybe dropping a shot here, hitting a wayward shot here that you haven't really hit this week?

JAY LENG JR: You know, those two things are obviously adding a lot of pressure. But I've had a ton of pressure this whole summer. I've had something to prove, whether it be Palmer Cup, Walker Cup, everything. I was probably on the bubble before this week, I think. I'm looking pretty good right now. But it's nothing too different. Obviously it's pretty different competing for the Masters and the U.S. Open, but I just tried to keep it one shot at a time.