One of the U.S. Amateur's hottest golfers has its wackiest swing

In recent years, golf has become an arena for perfecting every movement, where ball speed and shot efficiency take center stage. However, at the current U.S. Amateur, held at Merion East, a player whose swing is far from the generally accepted standards stands out. Jay Leng Jr., a rising star from Stanford, demonstrates a truly unique technique, which he himself describes as 'art.'

"I'd say it's art," Leng Jr. said with a smile in an interview with GOLF after the second round of the tournament. In another era, such a swing might not have attracted much attention. But in the age of super-optimized, ball-speed-chasing movements, Leng's manner looks quite unusual. Together with his Stanford coach, Conrad Ray, they call it 'abbreviated.' Leng takes the club back inside, but before it reaches shoulder level, he turns with a slightly closed clubface, starting his downswing. In the finishing phase of the movement, the shaft becomes almost parallel to the ground, and then rapidly whips around, finishing as it feels best at that moment. No two finishes are the same, and Leng sometimes even lifts off the ground while executing a shot.

This unique technique did not appear suddenly. Leng has always had an unconventional swing, but the current version, which has helped him become a rising amateur star, began to form around the time he was about to enter high school. Until then, he had worked with only one coach. Then Leng decided to go his own way, and his own, inimitable swing was born.

"Right before high school, I started doing my own thing," Leng says. "The abbreviated backswing — I found out that I started hitting the ball much straighter just by doing that. So, it stuck. The finish... well, I don't know. I don't think too much about my swing. I guess just trying to hit the shot I want to hit produces that finish, and I just don't worry about how it looks."

Appearance is a subjective assessment, but there is no doubt that Jay Leng's swing works for him. The summer of 2025 was not the most successful for Leng. He finished 19th at the Northeast Amateur, 46th at the North and South Amateur, and 103rd at the Western Amateur. He also did not participate in the U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club.

However, with a fixed putter, thanks to a change to a claw grip, Leng has become one of, if not the, hottest amateurs this summer. He took second place at the Northeast Amateur and fifth at the Southern Amateur, and then showcased his mastery last week at the Western Amateur at Beverly Country Club. There, Leng defeated Miles Russell, the No. 1 junior, in the semifinals, and then beat Michael Riebe of Vanderbilt 5&4, becoming the fifth Stanford player to win the third-oldest amateur event, following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods, Michael Thobjornsen, David Chung, and Joel Kribel.

Although Leng doesn't worry about how his swing looks, he has heard others' opinions on his unorthodox movement for years. The latest came during his semifinal victory at the Western Amateur over Miles Russell. On the par-3 sixth hole, Leng delivered a powerful shot with his 6-iron. As the ball left the club, commentator Tripp Isenhour began his analysis with a slight critique of the move: "Jay has a very unique finish. It often looks like he's out of sync at the finish," Isenhour said. But then Leng's shot cut through the wind and landed a few feet from the pin. "But then the shots turn out exactly like that," Isenhour added.

"I hear the comments," Leng admits. "It's annoying when people say bad things about it. But it becomes even sweeter when you play well and win with it. Like at the Western, when commentators said things, it always happens. I know it happens. But as soon as I start playing well, they say my swing is great and it works. I have my own opinion on this, but I am confident in my swing. Wins show that it works."

Leng arrived at Merion with the Western Amateur title in his pocket and has now firmly entered the conversation for the Ryder Cup. Ranked 33rd in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Leng is another candidate for consideration by U.S. captain Nathan Smith when assembling the team for the September Four players, including Russell, have already been selected, and the rest of the team will be determined after the current U.S. Amateur at Merion. This is definitely on Leng's radar. It would be foolish to assume otherwise. But Merion East demands his full attention. Good play takes care of everything.

"Of course, it's on my mind," Leng says. "I can't say it's not. But I'm just trying to focus here. There's enough pressure as it is."

As of now, Leng and his swing are handling the U.S. Amateur pressure just fine. He started the tournament with an even par 70 at Philadelphia Country Club, and then went through a roller coaster at Merion on Tuesday, showing two under par with six birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey. But his two-day total of two under par currently places him 13th and guarantees his participation in the match play portion of the tournament, which starts on Wednesday.

Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. But watching Jay Leng navigate the Merion, Beverly, or any other course, it becomes clear that he has created an expression of his golfing soul. A soul that produces results and makes him dream big on a course built in golf's golden age, not far from Philadelphia.