Catherine Rao

Catherine Rao at the 2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur

Photo by: Andy Mead

Catherine Rao Augusta National Women's Amateur Day Two

Photo by: Chas Dorman

Catherine Rao Competes At Augusta National Women's Amateur

Photo by: Chas Dorman

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Photo by: Jerry Green

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Princeton wins 2024 Nittany Lion Invitational

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Class:
Junior
High School:
Oaks Christian
Hometown:
Camarillo, Calif.

Notable Amateur Competitions
2025 Augusta National Women's Amateur
2025 British Amateur
2024 U.S. Women's Amateur -- Quarterfinals
2024 British Amateur -- Round of 16
2023 U.S. Women's Amateur -- Quarterfinals
2023 British Amateur -- Quarterfinals

Highest WAGR Ranking: #33

Awards
Honorable Mention Golfweek Magazine All-American (2025)
Third-Team Golfweek Magazine Preseason All-American (2025)
ANNIKA Award Watch List (2025)
Unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year (2025)
Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2023)
Unanimous First-Team All-Ivy (2023, 2025)
Ivy League Golfer of the Month (September 2024, February 2025)

Tournaments Won
Nittany Lion Invitational (2024)
Columbia Classic (2023, 2025)

2024-25: Unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year ... Unanimous first-team All-Ivy ... Invited to Augusta National Women's Amateur ... ANNIKA Award Watch List selection ... Honorable Mention Golfweek Magazine All-American ... Third-Team Golfweek Magazine Preseason All-American ... Columbia Classic Champion ... Nittany Lion Invitational Champion ... Two-Time Ivy League Golfer of the Month (February 2025, September 2024) ... Posted seven Top-10 finishes in eight events played ... Posted a -5 at the Nittany Lion Invitational with rounds of 67, 70, 74 to win ... Was runner up at the Princeton Invitational at -1 with rounds of 69, 73, 70 ... Won the Columbia Classic with a score of -6, posting rounds of 73, 69, 68 ... Finished T4 at the Yale Intercollegiate at -4 with rounds of 73, 70, 69 ... Was T9 at the Boilermaker Spring Classic ... Finished 3rd at the Ivy League Championship at -4 with rounds of 73, 72, 67 ... Finished 9th at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional at +2 with rounds of 72, 72, 70 ... Low round of 67 happened twice, coming in the first round of the Nittany Lion Invitational and the third round of the Ivy League Championship ... Season stroke average of 70.9.

2023-24: Did not compete due to injury.

2022-23: Ivy League Rookie of the Year ... first-team All-Ivy League, finishing runner-up at the Ivy League Championships ... posted three top-two finishes, all across the last four events of the spring, tying for medalist honors at the Columbia Classic and finishing runner-up at the Harvard Invitational ahead of the Ivy tournament ... competed in every event between the fall and the spring ... led or co-led Princeton at the UNC Ruth's Chris Tar Heel Invitational, the Columbia Classic, the Harvard Invitational and the Ivy League Championships ... low round of 66 came in the second round of the ODU-hosted Evie Odom Invitational ... had a stroke average of 74.60 between the fall and spring seasons ... advanced to the quarterfinals of match play at the U.S. Women's Amateur after earning the eighth seed during the two-round stroke-play portion of the event to advance to match play.

Before Princeton: Played in the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup with Team USA ... part of the 2020 and 2021 Wyndham Cups with Team West ... 2020 and 2021 AJGA Junior All-American ... 2021 AJGA Scholastic Junior All-American ... tied for ninth at the 2021 PGA Girls Championship ... placed sixth at the 2021 PING Invitational ... placed third at the 2020 PING Invitational ... placed fourth at the 2020 Rolex Girls Invitational ... held top-10 rankings in all three major junior rankings, including AJGA, Golfweek and Junior Score Board, during 2021 ... placed third individually at the 2021 California state high school tournament ... earned Girls Golfer of the Year honors from the Ventura County Star ... earned valedictorian honors at Oaks Christian ... majoring in Operations Research & Financial Engineering.