Sam Stevens Having Potentially Career-Defining Moment at U.S. Open

Through 36 holes the former Oklahoma State golfer has positioned himself to contend in a major championship.

Sam Stevens. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The smart bet would not have been on Sam Stevens to be in contention after 36 holes at the U.S. Open.

The former Oklahoma State golf star found himself on the right side of par after 36 holes, wrapping up his second round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton N.Y. with a 1-under 69 and a two-round score of 3-under par.

That should put him in the final two pairings of Saturday’s third round and in a group of three players in pursuit of another Oklahoma State product — Wyndham Clark — who held a four-shot lead going into Saturday. Also tied with Stevens was former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and major championship winner Xander Shauffele.

Stevens is now at the halfway point of a tournament at, depending upon how he plays, could change his professional life.

Sam Stevens After Two Rounds at Shinnecock Hills

What a start to the U.S. Open for Sam Stevens.

A 2-under 68 with six (!) birdies, most in the field. pic.twitter.com/IIYDRxh8a5

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 18, 2026

Stevens fired a 2-under 68 on Thursday and was done early in the afternoon after a morning tee time. His tee time flipped for Friday as he teed off in the afternoon, and he experienced different conditions than Thursday. The wind had shifted into a new direction. Pin placements are put in tougher positions after unusually low scoring on Thursday. Plus, as predicted, lower humidity dried out the greens as the day progressed.

Stevens started on the front side of Shinnecock Hills and birdied the first hold, followed by bogeys on Nos. 2 and 4. That knocked him back to 1-under, but he steadied himself and dropped pars on the next five holes to go out in 36 on the par-70, 7,398-yard layout.

He got his shots back on the back nine. At the 154-yard par-3 11th he drained a 15-footer to get back to even-par for the day. Then, at the 478-yard par-5 12th he drilled a long birdie putt that moved right to left in the center of the cup, pushing him back to under-par for the day and 3-under for the tournament.

He protected his place on the leaderboard with a par on each of the last six holes on the course and positioned himself with his best chance to content in a major for his career.

The 29-year-old is playing in his ninth major and his fourth U.S. Open. His best finish in a major was in the 2025 U.S. Open where he finished in a tie for 23rd. He also finished in a tie for 24th at the Masters in April.

He’s never won on the PGA Tour, but he’s notched two Top 10 finishes this year and is in the Top 60 in the FedEx Cup points race. Smith may be landing in U.S. Open contention at the perfect time.