How Ryder Cowan, Miles Russell banked major exposure money can't buy

by Shon Crewe

June 22, 2026

A leaderboard run in a major. A walk up 18 on Championship Sunday.

Brand building in golf isn’t something players think about in competition, yet it’s happening with every shot, on every hole, in every round.

Golf fans don’t just watch. They play. And because they play, they watch in curiosity, in awe, even judgment. That's exactly why winning them over means something.

The U.S. Open at Shinnecock didn't discriminate. The latest installment of golf's toughest test punished equally and the leaderboard after the first two rounds had Oklahoma golfer Ryder Cowan's name on it anyway.

Finishing T2 after opening with a 2-under-68, then shooting two over to finish even after 36 holes, Cowan sat T11 heading into the weekend alongside some of the biggest names, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

Golf has always loved the underdog, and every amateur in the field carries a built-in fan base for exactly that reason. When one of them plays their way into contention, fans find themselves with another connection to the game.

It’s the marketing story most other sports pay big money to write. Here, it’s just golf doing what it does.

Ryder Cowan leading the first round of the 2026 U.S. Open (left) | Jeff Haynes/USGA; Miles Russell and Joe Russell on the 18th hole at Shinnecock on Sunday (right) | Dustin Satloff/USGA

What happened Sunday on 18 was entirely different.

Ahead of the final round on Father's Day, Miles Russell had arranged for his dad to caddie the last hole. The future Seminole asked for approval in advance, and the USGA allowed it. The video went viral within minutes. The gesture behind it traces back decades.

Mulligan Foundation CEO and founder Steve Wheatcroft shared the story on LinkedIn. At the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, his playing partner Nick Watney mentioned he'd asked his own dad to caddie on 18. Wheatcroft immediately asked if he could use the idea himself.

Two dads, two sons, walking up the final stretch at Pebble Beach. Years later, Wheatcroft passed the idea on to Russell and told him he had to do it: “Thirty years from now, he may not remember every shot he hit this week. But I can guarantee he'll remember walking up the 18th hole with his dad."

Miles Russell wasn't thinking about his brand. Neither were the people watching. But somewhere on that walk up 18, everyone imagined their own version of the moment.

One amateur held his ground where several players lost theirs. The other turned a final hole into a memory the entire sport borrowed. Both just gave fans and brands a reason to be more invested.