Aidan O’Donovan Advances to 2026 U.S. Amateur
Former URI star Aidan O’Donovan is headed to the U.S. Amateur.
O’Donovan took co-medalist honors during Monday’s U.S. Amateur Final qualifying at Boson Golf Club to punch his ticket to the U.S. Am later this summer.
“I’m super excited, it’s hard to explain. I’ve worked so hard for something like this and for it to be checked off is an amazing feeling,” O’Donovan told GolfNewsRI.
O’Donovan fired a four-under 67 to tie for medalist honors with France’s Rudy Sautron and Canada’s Emile Lebrun.
“This is a great moment for Aidan and a testament to how hard he’s worked to put himself in a position to compete at this level, let alone qualify for the U.S. Am,” said URI Head Coach Gregg Burke.
O’Donovan graduated from URI this past spring after playing four years for the Rams and serving as the team captain in his senior year.
Leading up to U.S. Am final qualifying, O’Donovan finished inside the top 10 at the Mass Open, and also played int he New England Amateur and Massachusetts Amateur.
“If you look at some of his tournaments this summer, you might think he wasn’t playing well enough to qualify, but he has been hitting the ball extremely well and has paid the price to be ready when he needed it most,” added Burke.
At U.S. Am Final Qualifying, O’Donovan opened with an eagle on the first hole, but gave one of those shots back with a bogey on the next.
He finished the front nine at one-under, before going on to make three birdies on the back side to card a 67.
“I have been hitting it pretty well last few weeks, just haven’t been putting it all together. Short game and putting hasn’t been what it needs to be. Nice to finally roll in some putts today while hitting a bunch of greens,” said O’Donovan about the round.
The 2026 U.S. Amateur takes place August 10-16 at Merion Golf Club, with an alternate site at Philadelphia Country Club for the stroke play portion.
“I’ve played in some bigger college events, it will be nice to see some of the top amateurs around the world and see where my game is. I played a bunch of match play events and a I know if I can put two rounds together anything can happen in match play,” O’Donovan noted.
O’Donovan will be one of at least two locals in the field along with Rhode Island Amateur Champion Jake Bauer.