Who is Sam Stevens? Meet American golfer in striking distance of lead at U.S. Open

The U.S. Open leaderboard is filled with big names, but one of the tournament's biggest surprises has been Sam Stevens.

While most of the field has struggled to solve Shinnecock Hills, Stevens has steadily kept himself in contention behind Wyndham Clark. He carried that momentum into Saturday, spending much of the round as Clark's closest challenger in second place.

After J.J. Spaun's unexpected U.S. Open victory last year, Stevens is looking to make it back-to-back years with a surprise champion. To do so, however, he'll have to close out the tournament on one of golf's toughest courses.

Here's what to know about Sam Stevens.

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Who is Sam Stevens?

Stevens is a golfer on the PGA Tour who has been a professional since 2018. After attending Oklahoma State, Stevens initially played on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica before joining the Korn Ferry Tour a few years later. Stevens has yet to win a tournament as a PGA Tour professional, but he has finished second a few times. In 2026, Stevens has two top-10 finishes, with his best result being a solo fifth at the Texas Children's Houston Open, and he has missed only one cut all year.

Entering the U.S. Open, Stevens had played in seven major tournaments, with this being his fourth U.S. Open. He has yet to miss a cut in those seven appearances, but he hasn't finished better than tied for 23rd.

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Sam Stevens PGA Tour wins

Stevens does not have any wins on the PGA Tour despite joining the tour in 2022. He does have two runner up finishes on the PGA Tour, once at the Valero Texas Open and once at the Farmer's Insurance Open.

Stevens doesn't even have a professional win, despite spending time on both the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Korn Ferry Tour.

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Sam Stevens age

Stevens is 29 years old and will turn 30 on July 4, 2026. Stevens is originally from Wichita, Kansas and spent four seasons at Oklahoma State University, where he played alongside Viktor Hovland.

Sam Stevens Official World Golf Ranking

Stenes is currently ranked 54th on the OWGR, but he spent much of the year in the mid-to-late 40s. His best OWGR came after this year's Waste Management Phoenix Open, when he rose all the way up to 39th in the world.