Sam Stevens golfer entered the third round of the 2026 U.S. Open tied for second at 3-under par after opening with a 2-under 68 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. He is in the mix behind Wyndham Clark’s four-shot lead, a position that stands out because Stevens said he has spent the last month feeling worn down and letting his attitude slip.
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Stevens built that position with six birdies in the first round, which gave him a score that kept him within reach of the top of the board. He was tied with Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tom Kim in the standings described around him, so the pressure around his score is already crowded.
The opening round mattered because it came on top of a different recent stretch. Over the last month or so, Stevens said he had been worn down after playing a lot at the beginning of the year, and he added that he was not paying enough attention to how his attitude had been sliding.
Kelsey Stevens and Charlie Stevens
He said he talked with his caddie, his dad and his wife about needing to chill out because it is just golf. Kelsey Stevens was part of that reset, and he said she helped get him out of his terrible attitude. The message was simple: a little bit of perspective can change a lot of things, and that is what he said he needed.
The family side of the story runs deeper than one round. Sam Stevens and Kelsey Stevens tied the knot in 2018 and share four children, and Stevens has long been tied to a golf line that includes Johnny "Slim" Stevens and Charlie Stevens, both professional golfers and winners of the Kansas Amateur. The Wichita Eagle called the relatives the royal golf family of Wichita.
2026 U.S. Open
Stevens also arrived at this point with another marker on his record. In April, he tied for 24th in his Masters debut, then carried that form into the 2026 U.S. Open and into the top two after one round. The job now is to keep the score moving in the same direction while the field around him keeps tightening.
The next stretch will show whether the reset holds. Stevens is still chasing Clark, and his own words leave the issue in plain view: the game has been there, but the attitude had to catch up.
