Ethan Fang watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Eric Gay/AP
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ethan Fang’s whirlwind year climaxed with an exhilarating week here at Augusta National and a wry smile when it ended Friday.
Yes, he shot 78 Friday. Yes, the Plano native and Oklahoma State junior missed the cut as one of six amateurs in the 90th Masters field, but positives from the experience were easy to find.
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“It’s really cool,” he said. “If you told me 10 years ago I would be playing in the Masters at 20 years old, I wouldn’t believe you at all.”
It’s hard to pinpoint when playing in the Masters might have morphed to pipe-dream status. Perhaps it was 2022, when he finished sixth in the PGA Junior Championship and third in the AJGA Junior Players Championships.
Or maybe it was during his senior year at Plano West, when he was runner-up in the 2023 6A state tournament.
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He began his college career at Cal, but his game soared after he transferred to Oklahoma State, which he helped lead to last year’s NCAA team championship.
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When Fang won The Amateur Championship last June at Royal St. George’s, he became the first American in 18 years to do so. The win qualified him for last year’s Open Championship (where he shot 75-70) and for this Masters (74-78).
“Overall I didn’t have my best today,” he said Friday, “but I gave it all I had.”
What a week, though. It included following Masters custom when he and two other amateurs, Mateo Pulcini of Argentina and Mason Howell, stayed in the Augusta National Crow’s Nest following Monday night’s amateur dinner.
“It was cool, a little small, but fun,” Fang said.
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Oklahoma State finished second on Sunday at the Haskins Award Invitational at Forest Hills in Augusta, and as a reward Fang’s Cowboys teammates got to come to Augusta National on Monday and follow Ethan’s practice round.
Fang’s parents, Frank and Helen, and his girlfriend were at Augusta National to be part of his monumental week.
A moment Fang probably won’t soon forget was his opening tee shot on Thursday.
“It’s really nerve-wracking,” he said. “Thankfully I played The Open last year and it was raining, blowing 20 [mph] right to left. It was my first pro [event] ever. I think I hit it into the tall grass and was pretty happy.
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“Doing that definitely eased the tension a little bit, but I was definitely nervous out there.”
His Friday round hit an early rough patch. On the par 5 second hole, he three-putted from four feet and made double bogey. On the back nine, he made three bogeys in a four-hole stretch.
“One thing I learned is, I knew it was pretty hard already, but it’s harder than I thought,” he said of Augusta National. “Greens are quicker than I thought, too.
“One thing I learned about myself: Just that if I play good, I can somewhat compete. If I’d just made a couple of putts the first round, would have played pretty good. A couple of loose drives caught me today. If I just clean that up, I think there’s a chance.”
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Next week it’s back to reality for Fang, with classes back in Stillwater. Later this month the Cowboys will compete in the Big 12 Championship tournament at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Kansas.
There he’ll play 36 holes in a day and carry his own golf bag. Of course, no other golf existence compares to the Masters at Augusta National.
“Food is different, everything is different, it’s great,” Fang said. “But I’m excited to go back, hang out with my teammates and go on trips with them again.”