Race For The Gold Medal: Which Amateurs Have Made The Cut At The US Open 2026?
Forget about the big names at the US Open, let's take a look at the amateurs fighting it out for the gold medal this weekend...
Obviously, every player at the US Open has their eyes on that prestigious trophy, and the $4.5 million prize isn't a bad bonus, either.
But, just taking part in the Major championship is a big deal, especially for the 20 amateurs who qualified for the field this week.
It's very unlikely any of them will be at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday evening, but one of them can still bag a very meaningful prize with a gold medal on offer for the lowest-scoring amateur.
With round two over and the cutline for the US Open settled at +4, there are five amateurs who will play through the weekend at Shinnecock Hills.
Ryder Cowan is the leading amateur as things stand. Even after shooting two-over on Friday, the 21-year-old from Oklahoma is still at level-par over two days and is part of a huge group of golfers tied for 11th - including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
Not too far behind is Miles Russell, who shot one-over on Friday to land at +3 for the week. He's the top-ranked junior golfer in the world and earned his spot at the US Open via Golf's Longest Day last week, with none other than Charlie Woods on his bag.
Now, he's making his mark on the biggest stage, and he's made a big impression, too, having rolled in a couple of birdies on day two to keep safely within the cutline. He becomes the second-youngest golfer to make the US Open cut since WWII.
An amateur who really needs no introduction is Jackson Koivun. The no.1-ranked amateur has just completed a record-breaking college golf career to set him up for the next step in his career.
This is the last time Koivun will be playing as an amateur at the US Open before competing as a pro on the PGA Tour, and he birdied two of his final five holes to make the weekend at three-over.
South Carolina qualifier Marek Fleming is making his US Open debut this week, and he's not doing too bad, especially considering the unique challenge Shinnecock Hills poses to even the world's best golfers.
He shot 72 on Friday to take his score for the week to +4, but it was just enough to get him through the cut and allow for two more days of golf at this massive event.
Eric Lee actually performed the best of the amateurs making the cut on day two, going round Shinnecock at an even par 70. He may be four-over for the week, but it's enough to keep him in the mix.
He's the No. 27-ranked Amateur in the world, and another qualifier from Oklahoma State.
So, who will take the low amateur honors? It's set to be a thrilling shootout over the final 36 holes.
US Open amateur leaderboard
- E Ryder Cowan
- +3 Miles Russell
- +3 Jackson Koivun
- +4 Marek Fleming
- +4 Eric Lee
- +4 CUT LINE
- +7 Bryan Lee
- +7 Giuseppe Puebla
- +8 Mason Howell
- +9 Preston Stout
- +9 Jackson Herrington
- +10 Brandon Holtz
- +11 Mateo Pulcini
- +11 Hamilton Coleman
- +11 Ethan Fang
- +11 Logan Reilly
- +12 Vaughn Harber
- +12 Chase Kyes
- +16 Matthew Robles
- +20 Jackson Ormond
- +21 Arni Sveinsson
