More on Megan Meng: The golfer believed to have made history on SJ course
When golfer Megan Meng road tripped about two hours down to South Jersey for the NJSIAA golf sectional from her turf in Mercer County, she just hoped that the trip would be worth it.
The Hopewell Valley golf star, a senior who has had a habit of making headlines throughout her career for her skill at the tee, wanted to "redeem herself" for a tough match at the boy's county tournament after winning amongst the girls last month.
When she walked off the course at Egg Harbor Township's Twisted Dune Golf Club, however, not only was she the sectional champion for NJSIAA's Central Group 2, beating her male peers after hitting from the same tees, but she's also believed to be the first female golfer to do so.
Meng's coach, Bill Russell, said that in his 20 years of coaching at the school, he's only had about five or six female golfers move through the program, and Meng is the only one to his knowledge to hold the boy's sectional title in their division.
"From everything I've been told, this is the first time," he said.
In 2023, Meng made history when she was the first female golfer to title for Mercer County's boys' and girls' tournaments.
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Though Meng's humble disposition in interviews makes her love for the sport and knowledge of the game the main focus, Russell was sure to sing her praises, noting that she's the only girl golfer on Hopewell Valley's high school team and also the best.
"It was an outstanding day," he said of the sectional which took place on May 6.
Since then, Meng has continued to compete in the region, including the Americal Junior Gold Association's tournament that took place in Jersey City alongside pros competing in the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which she described as a "really special experience."
Meng will move up to the collegiate level in the fall, playing Division I golf at Northwestern University.
She said that she hopes other female golfers and aspiring golfer will be able to see that college golf "opens a lot of doors," and that in general "women's golf should be promoted more."
Kaitlyn McCormick writes about trending issues and community news across South Jersey for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times. If you have a story she should tell, email her at kmccormick@gannett.com. And subscribe to stay up to date on the news you need.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: More on Megan Meng, NJSIAA champ from Twisted Dune Tourney
