Amateur Ryder Cowan Shines at 2026 U.S. Open Following Historic Opening Round

Ryder Cowan shot a score of 68 on Thursday and tied the record for the lowest score by an amateur at U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Amateur Ryder Cowan Shines at 2026 U.S. Open Following Historic Opening Round

Ryder Cowan (Image via X/@Cam_Jourdan)

On Thursday, as the stars battled out at the third major of the year, an amateur was the one who shone brighter than many. Amateur Ryder Cowan dazzled the crowd at Shinnecock Hills in New York with a historic opening round.

This year, there are a record-tying 20 amateurs at the U.S. Open. The last time a U.S. Open had 20 amateurs playing was in 2018, coincidentally at Shinnecock Hills.

Cowan started his round on the back nine while playing alongside William Mouw and Hennie Du Plessis. The Shinnecock Hills, which is a tough course to crack, appeared soft in the opening round.

The 21-year-old cruised through the back nine without any major hiccups. Birdies on Holes 12, 14, and 17. After the birdie on the 17th hole, he jumped to the top of the leaderboard and was the solo leader for a brief moment.

Following a par on the 18th hole, he started the front nine. His first slip-up of the day came at the 2nd hole, where he made a bogey. Another bogey on the 4th hole, he fell 1-under par for the day.

Cowan then made 4 successive pars and arrived on the 9th hole hoping to fire a round of par or better. On the final hole, he carded his 4th birdie of the day and wrapped up the round with a 2-under par score of 68.

With darkness leading to the suspension of Round 1, Cowan ended the day T2. His score of 68 saw him tie Sam Randolph (1986) for the lowest score by an amateur at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

Following the round, Cowan revealed that he did not know about this stat. He then claimed that he was not worrying about what the others said in the crowd.

I did not know that. That is very cool, very cool. I think that I’ve really just been trying this week to focus on each shot, especially today. One at a time, not worry about what’s going on in the crowds or everything. I’m not used to all these crowds. We don’t ever really play with a lot of crowds.

Ryder Cowan told the reporters

Speaking of the first round, the 2023 champion Wyndham Clark was leading the pack through 16 holes before the play was suspended. On Friday, he will first complete his first round and then start his second round.

Meanwhile, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler finished with a 2-over score. A victory this week will see him complete the career grand slam and become just the 7th player to win all the 4 majors.

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Who is Ryder Cowan?

Several big names are competing at the 2026 U.S. Open this week. The one who stole the headlines, though, was amateur Ryder Cowan. Following his impressive performance in the first round, many are wondering who he actually is.

Ryder Cowan
Ryder Cowan (Image via Golf Digest)

Cowan is a 21-year-old who has graduated from the Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond. In his high school days, he won 2 individual state championships. While going to college, he was the No.7 prospect.

He’s a 2-time All-American at Oklahoma, including a second-team selection this season. Apart from this, he was also a Haskins finalist this season, the college golf version of the Heisman Trophy.

He is currently in his second year at the University of Oklahoma. The amateur qualified for this tournament by carding a 6-under par score and then coming through a playoff on Golf’s Longest Day.

Cowan was also the 2023 Oklahoma State Junior Champion. He has competed at the 2023, 2024, and 2025 US Amateur Championships and finished T6 at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in 2023.

His career-high world amateur ranking is 15th. Meanwhile, his first collegiate victory came at the Kaanapali Classic in Hawaii in 2025.

Several eyes will now be on him in the second round. He and his group will start the second round by teeing off at 6:50 a.m. local time.

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