Sam Burns has always looked up to his friend and housemate, Scottie Scheffler, who has become a major-winning machine. On a rain-soaked Saturday at the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, Burns took a major step toward joining him.
Burns steadied himself through the treacherous, soaked terrain of Oakmont with a third-round 1-under 69 to reach 4-under 206, giving him a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round. It wasn’t without drama. After a short par miss late threatened to derail his round, the 28-year-old from Louisiana responded with a deft pitch for a birdie and then poured in two nervy downhill par saves from long range on the final hole to keep his lead intact.
“I knew it was going to be tough, but that’s Oakmont,” Burns said. “You’re going to get in trouble. It’s just about how you recover. Today I felt like I did that well.”
Right behind him are two very different challengers: Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who is trying to end a 12-year drought between major titles — a feat no one has ever accomplished — and J.J. Spaun, who continues to shine on the biggest stages despite still chasing his first major.
Scott fired a 3-under 67, joining an elite trio as one of only three players to ever shoot par or better in all three rounds of a U.S. Open at Oakmont. Birdies on three of his final six holes pushed him into the final pairing for Sunday.
“It’s been a while since I felt like I could win one of these,” Scott said, who hasn’t been a real factor on a major leaderboard since 2018. “But I’ve always believed I could come back. And here we are.”
Spaun, who lost in a playoff at the Players Championship earlier this season, looked poised and confident throughout his 69. He matched Burns shot-for-shot over a gritty stretch of seven straight pars, only to drop a shot from a bunker on 18 that cost him a spot in the final group.
Also in the hunt is Viktor Hovland, the ever-smiling Norwegian who shot a 70 and sits three strokes back at 1-under 209. His adventurous round included a bogey after a tee shot into the bushes on No. 1, a birdie off the pin at No. 9, and an artful wedge from deep rough on 17 that led to a tap-in birdie.
Carlos Ortiz, meanwhile, turned in one of the day’s most impressive efforts, going 30 consecutive holes without a bogey before the streak ended at the last. Still, his 67 vaulted him into contention at even-par 210, just four back.
Notably absent from the leaderboard’s top tier is Scheffler. The world No. 1 and three-time major champion couldn’t gain any traction all day. A third-round 70 moved him to 4-over for the tournament — outside the top 10 and eight shots off the pace. Despite that, Scheffler called it his most encouraging round of the week as he battles swing issues.
“I’ve been grinding,” Scheffler said. “This place is punishing when you’re even slightly off. I’m proud of how I hung in.”
The weather — which had disrupted play earlier in the week — stayed away on Saturday, much to the USGA’s relief. Nearly an inch of rain had fallen on the course since Friday evening, leaving muddy conditions and softer greens that allowed for more aggressive play. Still, Oakmont remained a brute, its famed rough swallowing errant tee shots and its fairways looking more like pelted battlegrounds.
Burns picked up key birdies with a wedge to a back pin on No. 5 and a brilliant tee shot to 7 feet on the par-3 13th. Perhaps more critical, however, were the three par saves from the fairway after missing fairways off the tee — the kind of gritty recovery work that wins U.S. Opens.
With the tournament finely balanced, Sunday promises a tight, tension-packed finish. Burns is seeking not only his first major but a place among an elite generation of Americans — joining the likes of Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, and Wyndham Clark — who have captured majors before age 30.
“I’ve watched Scottie win so many of these,” Burns said. “Now it’s my turn to try and do it.”
Oakmont, with its scarred fairways, softened greens, and historic gravity, awaits. So does golf’s most coveted prize.
