Top Amateurs Poised To Make The Cut

The U.S. Open remains one of the rare stages in professional sports where elite amateurs are given the opportunity to compete directly alongside the best professional golfers in the world.

No amateur has captured the U.S. Open title since Johnny Goodman triumphed at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Illinois, in 1933. While it remains unlikely that an amateur will hoist the trophy in 2025, several of the game’s top-ranked young talents are in the field and they’re ready to test their game against the pros.

Here are three amateurs to watch:

Jackson Koivun (a)
Currently ranked ahead of Phil Mickelson in the overall power rankings, Koivun is a sophomore at Auburn University and one of the most promising young talents in amateur golf. He made the cut in his PGA Tour debut at The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village and finished runner-up in the 2024 NCAA Individual Championship. In 2025, he made the cut in both PGA Tour events he entered: the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. With proven success in signature events and the ability to handle challenging layouts, Koivun is a strong contender to play into the weekend.

Ben James (a)
Ranked No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), James was named the 2024 Ping Player of the Year. Statistically, he’s gaining 1.86 strokes on the composite professional tour average including players from the PGA, DP World, Korn Ferry, Japan, and China Tours and hovers near parity with the PGA Tour average. James also averages 306 yards off the tee, a key advantage on longer, more demanding U.S. Open setups. At a venue like Winged Foot, similar length proved pivotal in Bryson DeChambeau’s 2020 victory, an encouraging precedent for James.

Michael La Sasso (a)
Coming off a win at the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual Championship, La Sasso enters the U.S. Open with momentum. Ranked No. 10 in the WAGR, he’s known for his dynamic spine angle at impact and raw power. However, his strokes gained relative to the PGA Tour field lag behind those of Koivun and James, which may make making the cut a tougher task. He’ll need a strong start to contend into the weekend.

While the odds of seeing an amateur win the U.S. Open remain slim, it’s been 93 years since the last occurrence, the trio above represent the best chance for the amateur ranks to make noise this week. Making the cut at a major is no small feat, but for Koivun, James, and La Sasso, it’s well within reach.