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Ryder Cowan, a senior golfer at Oklahoma, pulled off a stunning upset Wednesday at Merion Golf Club by defeating sixth-seed Miles Russell 2&1 in the opening round of the US Amateur match play bracket. The victory came despite Cowan earning the 59th seed after advancing through a 16-man playoff for one of 11 qualifying spots in the 64-player field.
Russell, a junior who won’t graduate high school until 2027, entered the tournament ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and is the top-ranked junior golfer globally. His career trajectory has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods, making him a formidable opponent for Cowan, who held the eighth WAGR ranking and recently earned co-low amateur honors at the U.S. Open.
An unusual challenge accompanied Cowan’s improbable run: he forgot to pack full sleeves of golf balls before arriving at the course, leaving him with only one new ball and one used ball for the entire 18-hole match. He relied on the new ball through the first 10 holes before switching to his worn backup ball.
The used golf ball proved fortuitous when Cowan chipped in for par on the 17th hole to seal the victory. After missing his initial chip shot on the par 3, Cowan executed his follow-up attempt with precision, providing the decisive moment in the upset.
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