OAKMONT, Pa. – Through 36 holes at the 125th U.S. Open, Sam Burns already has made 11 birdies, matching the number that 2016 Open winner Dustin Johnson made for the entire championship at Oakmont Country Club.
Burns made a half dozen of them on Friday, firing 5-under 65 to grab the 36-hole clubhouse lead at 3-under 137. Asked if he felt he left a few out there and his score, the low round of the week, could have been even better, Burns said, “Not really, no. I think that’s being a little greedy.”
Burns may not be greedy, but he has been on a roll. He shot a final-round 62 at the RBC Canadian Open and nearly stole the title, falling in a four-hole playoff to Ryan Fox. Burns was cruising along at 3 under in the first round at Oakmont on Thursday when the wheels came off. He played the final four holes in 5 over and signed for 2-over 72. Of his sloppy finish to the first round, he said, “You get out of position here, and the golf course will bite you. It was unfortunate, but there was too much good to focus on the little bit of bad.”
Burns began his Friday round on the same nine that had befuddled him the day before and shot 31, matching his lowest nine-hole score of his major championship career (2022 Open Championship, final round, back 9; 2023 Masters, first round, front 9; 2025 PGA Championship, final round, front 9).
Sam Burns has PGA Tour success, but not a major
The 28-year-old Burns has won five times on the PGA Tour but that success hasn’t translated to the majors. He finished T-9 last year at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, his first career top 10 in a major. What’s been holding him back at the big four tourneys?
“Trying to be a little too perfect around major championship golf courses,” he explained, “and I think especially around here, honestly, it kind of forces you to take your medicine because a lot of times that’s the only option you have.”
He’s also adopted a simple philosophy: “You’re going to hit some in some bad spots, you might as well do it with authority,” he said.
That was the case at the par-4 ninth, his final hole of the day, where his tee shot found the penalty area to the left.
“Fade off the left side and just pulled it a little bit,” he said.
He took his medicine and left himself 22 feet for par and buried it.
“That putt was, I don’t know, 6 feet of break,” he said. “Yeah, it was a nice one to make for sure.”
It capped off a wonderful round at Oakmont and has him poised to do something special this weekend, good friend Scottie Scheffler said.
“Sam is one of those guys, he’s like me in a sense that he’s a hyper-competitive person,” he said. “I think you always dream of having a chance to win these tournaments, and he’s put himself in position a few times at majors, and he’s in position again. I’m sure going into the weekend, he’s right where I would want to be on the leaderboard, so you know, to have a good chance, it should be a fun experience for him.”
Read the full article here
