SOUTHAMPTON, New York, June 18 (Reuters) - College student Ryder Cowan played well beyond his 21 years to take a share of the clubhouse lead in the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday, carding a two-under par 68 to tie the record for the lowest round shot by an amateur at Shinnecock Hills.
Starting on the back nine, Cowan put up four birdies against two bogeys, holding his nerve as brutally windy conditions rattled even seasoned veterans of the majorsbefore play was suspended due to darkness in Southampton.
"I've really just been trying this week to focus on each shot, especially today. One at a time, not worry about what's going on in the crowds or everything. I'm not used to all these crowds. We don't ever really play with a lot of crowds," said Cowan.
"I'm just trying to take it one shot at a time."
He finished the day sharing the clubhouse lead with fellow Americans Sam Stevens and Max McGreevy, while former champion Wyndham Clark was sitting at six-under par with two holes left to play.
No amateur has won the U.S. Open since Johnny Goodman in 1933, putting Cowan against tough odds in a talented 156-player tournament, which included 12 former U.S. Open champions.
But the University of Oklahoma student said he had put in the work to feel confident on one of golf's biggest stages.
"I feel like all the work I put in every single day gives me that belief that I can come out here and play with anyone," Cowan told reporters.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Southampton, New York; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
