Miles Russell, a 17-year-old phenom from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, turned the 2026 U.S. Open into the site of his latest golfing feat.
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Russell became the second-youngest male amateur since World War II to make the cut at the U.S. Open, according to NBC.
He finished the first two rounds at 3-over par, one stroke below the cutline of plus-4 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. That leaves Russell tied for 46th along with Dustin Johnson and 12 others.
The youngest since World War II to make the cut was Beau Hossler, who also was 17 when he did it in 2012. He was about four months younger than Russell is.
The accomplishment is yet another milestone for Russell, a lefthander who in 2024 became the youngest player to make the make cut at an event on the Korn Ferry Tour, a development pro circuit. Russell was 15.
Last year, he became the first two-time winner of the Junior Players Championship.
He has committed to play college golf at Florida State and he currently is No. 1 in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association Rankings.
In the first round of the U.S. Open, Russell shot a 2-over 72. He shot 1-over 71 in the second round. He played steady golf over those two days, making three birdies, six bogeys and scoring par on the other holes.
The path for amateurs
There are plenty of ways into the U.S. Open, but staying through the weekend is far rarer – especially for amateurs.
There were 20 amateurs in this year's field for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, and only a handful advanced past the cut, continuing a long-running trend at golf’s toughest major.
Last year, Justin Hastings was among those who reached the weekend, finishing tied for 55th. As an amateur, he did not collect prize money that would have totaled more than $46,000.
Here are the amateurs who made the cut at the 2026 U.S. Open:
Ryder Cowan (E)
Not only did Cowan make the cut, but he's tied for 10th with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
Cowan is a 21-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma, who competes collegiately at the University of Oklahoma. He is No. 15 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and led the Sooners to an NCAA regional title this past season.
Cowan is a two-time All-American and was a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award, given to the best male collegiate golfer in the United States.
He's at even par after finishing his first round with a 2-under 68. His second round was a bit uneven with four bogeys and two birdies during a round of 2-over 72.
Jackson Koivun (+3)
Koivun is a 21-year-old who was born in San Jose, California, and has become a college star while playing golf while playing for Auburn. He is a two-time winner of the Ben Hogan Award and Haskins Award, both given to the top college golfer, and a two-time SEC Player of the Year. As a freshman in 2024, he led Auburn to its first NCAA golf championship and helped lead the Tigers to another NCAA title this past season.
Koivun has accepted PGA Tour membership earned through PGA Tour University Accelerated and is set to make his pro debut July 1-July 5 at the 2026 John Deere Classic. His play in this U.S. Open will cap his stellar amateur career.
In the first round, Koivun shot a 2-over 72 and in the second round he shot a 1-over 71.
Marek Fleming (+4)
Fleming is a 20-year-old from Tomball, Texas, who just finished his sophomore year at the University of South Carolina. In high school, he played baseball and was a switch hitter who batted .402 as a sophomore and also pitched. But now it's all about golf.
He played in the 2025 U.S. Amateur and finished tied for 48th in stroke play with rounds of 75 (+2) and 68 (-2). Also played in the 2022 and 2023 U.S. Amateur.
Fleming shot back-to-back rounds of 2-over 72.
Eric Lee (+4)
Lee is a 21-year-old from Fullerton, California, who reached the semifinals at the 2025 U.S. Amateur. He played his freshman year of college golf at the University of California at Berkeley before transferring to Oklahoma State, where this past season he was named honorable mention PING All-American for the second year in a row.
As a college freshman, Lee was built like a golf iron – a lanky 5-10 and 135 pounds. But Lee has started to fill out over the past three years and continue to play impressive golf.
He shot an opening round of 4-over 74, then came back in the second round with an even-par 70.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which amateurs made the U.S. Open cut? Here’s the full list