Exclusive | The five US Open amatuers shining at Shinnecock give a glimpse into golfs future
Jonathan Moore has seen something like this before.Back in 2007, when the now Oklahoma head coach was an amateur himself, he played on a Walker Cup team that featured Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Webb Simpson and won at Royal County Down Golf Club.
He went against Rory McIlroy, who was on Team Great Britain and Ireland.That group of emerging golfers went on to win major championships, appear in Ryder Cups, make it to the Olympics and — in the case of Johnson and McIlroy — climb all the way to No.
1. And when Moore sees the current group of five amateurs playing the daunting Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for another two rounds this weekend at the U.S.Open, he allows himself to imagine that it’s possible for Ryder Cowan (who golfs for his Sooners team), 17-year-old Miles Russell, Jackson Koivun, Eric Lee and Marek Fleming — collectively the most amateurs to make the cut at a U.S.
Open since 2015 — to inherit that mantle as the future of the sport. “Not only do I allow myself to think it,” Moore, who was at Shinnecock earlier this week for Cowan’s final practice round, told The Post on Saturday, “I believe that is what happens.” Cowan, in his first major appearance, will have a chance to chase history Sunday, as he entered the eighth hole of his third round 1 over and seven shots behind leader Wyndham Clark.Russell and Koivun were paired together and both shot 4 over, as did Fleming.
Lee finished his third round at 8 over to sit 12 over for the tournament. And as Russell and Koivun navigated the front nine of their round Saturday, the buzz was palpable.Russell joked that maybe the fans would’ve followed them longer had they played better.
For Koivun, the No.1 golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings who just turned pro after three seasons at Auburn, his run to the weekend also gave him a bit of U.S.
Open revenge after he missed the cut by one shot last year. “He missed the cut last year by one and didn’t like the way that tastes,...