Feng and Kim Lead Inaugural Cronheim Cup Before Play Suspension
WATCHUNG, N.J. – The inaugural Cronheim Cup teed off Monday at Watchung Valley Golf Club, bringing together some of the region's top junior golfers for New Jersey Golf's newest championship. The second round was suspended due to weather on Monday afternoon and will resume Tuesday morning. Once the second round is completed and the 36-hole cut is made, the championship's third and final round will be contested.
The first edition of the Cronheim Cup produced an impressive opening day of competition, as Fiddler’s Elbow’s Rayhao Feng led the Boys’ side, carding a bogey-free 10-under par 61 in Round One and currently sits in the lead at 9-under par through 34 holes. In the Girls’ division, NJ Golf E-Club's Jessica Kim’s steady 1-over par 72 first round and 1-under par through 15 holes in Round Two landed her atop the Girls’ leaderboard before play was suspended.
New to the 2026 championship schedule, the Cronheim Cup was created to provide elite junior golfers with another high-level competitive opportunity. The 54-hole invitational features a field of boys and girls ages 18 and under, with a 36-hole cut and World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) status. The championship is named in honor of former New Jersey State Golf Association president Robert D. Cronheim, whose decades of service helped shape junior golf in New Jersey.
Feng carried his recent Carter Cup victory into Watchung Valley with a fast start in the opening round, playing a bogey-free opening nine. He started and finished the side with back-to-back birdies.
After making the turn, Feng added another birdie on No. 1 for his third consecutive birdie before taking advantage of the 503-yard, par-5 third with an eagle. The surge moved Feng to 8-under through 12 holes and firmly atop the leaderboard; he finished round one with an impressive 10-under par 61.
Eight boys entered the second round under par, but Feng did enough to keep himself ahead of the pack. Henry Blake of Echo Lake Country Club did close the gap, however, with a strong start of 4-under par through 13 holes to put him 5-under overall at the time of suspension.
On the Girls’ side, Christine Park battled a tightly packed leaderboard to post an even-par opening round. Park carded three birdies while Kacey Jeon and Jessica Kim remained within a stroke for much of the round. Park finished strong and held the field off down the stretch to set the early pace in the Girls’ division.
Early in Round Two, Kim leapt ahead with two consecutive birdies to begin her second round; she remained steady, finishing the front nine 1-under par and even overall. Kim currently holds a six-shot lead entering tomorrow’s resumption.
Jack Stamberger recorded the championship's first hole-in-one on the 166-yard, par-3 13th hole. Stamberger aced the hole with a 9-iron.
Round two will resume on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.
The event is named in honor of Robert D. Cronheim, who served as New Jersey Golf president from 1992–93 and is part of the family ownership of Watchung Valley Golf Club. In 1993, Cronheim founded the NJ Golf Youth Foundation, one of New Jersey Golf’s two charitable arms. He later received the New Jersey Golf Distinguished Service Award in 2013 for his contributions to the game throughout the state. Cronheim is also the grandfather of current New Jersey Golf President David Cronheim.
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