OAKMONT, Pa. — The U.S. Open at Oakmont concluded amid rain-soaked conditions, with chants of “J-J! J-J!” and “U-S-A! U-S-A!” celebrating a new champion. Yet, golf was still underway for one remaining duo overshadowed by the excitement: Sam Burns and Adam Scott made their way to the 18th green long after J.J. Spaun secured his victory.
The day can be summarized as a tough slog. Burns and Scott found themselves as mere also-rans due to unfortunate turns, poor shots, and their struggle to cope with the downpour, unlike Spaun, who excelled despite the weather. “It was just so sloppy the rest of the way,” reflected Scott about the grueling conditions following a 1 hour, 37-minute weather delay that stalled the frontrunners at the eighth tee. “We must have looked horrible, both of us playing like that. But that’s what can happen in these things. If you get a little off, you’re just severely punished.”
Entering the day, Burns led the pack while Scott was tied for second, just one stroke back. However, Burns ended the round with an 8-over 78, tying for seventh place at 4 over, whereas Scott carded a 79, tying for 12th, two shots behind Burns. “I didn’t adapt to those conditions well enough,” admitted Scott, the 2013 Masters champion.
Scott, having made three birdies over the last six holes on Saturday to place himself in the final group, found himself struggling on those very holes on Sunday, completing them at 5 over. Burns, who had previously posted a stellar 65 on Friday—the tournament’s best round—followed by a 69 on Saturday to seize the lead, saw his game unravel with two rain-triggered double bogeys on the back nine, epitomizing his fall.
“Look, it’s part of it,” Burns remarked. “Everybody’s got to deal with it. I’m extremely proud of the way I fought out there today.” Burns’ troubles peaked with a double bogey on the 15th hole when he was refused relief from a waterlogged fairway spot. Despite water splashing during his practice swing, two rules officials denied his plea for a drop. Burns swung, and the ball veered sharply left, with subsequent struggles in the wet greenside rough leaving him 3 over—two shots shy of the lead—turning the spotlight to Spaun and runner-up Robert MacIntyre.
“I was 100% locked in on what I was trying to do,” Burns explained regarding the decisive approach on 15. “Ultimately, it felt like the water just kind of got in the way, and I went left. It is what it is.” Prior to that, on the 12th fairway, Burns divot-sized mishap on a 122-yard attempt sent the ball wide left, though he salvaged par at the hole.
“I was in a divot on 11, as well,” Burns mentioned regarding his first double bogey. “It’s part of it. It happens. You play enough golf, you hit it in divots, and everybody does.” Besides Spaun and MacIntyre, few seemed ready for the challenging conditions that arose after the rain delay left parts of the course unplayable, further exacerbated when the rain resumed.
Following his final shot on the 18th in almost complete quiet, Burns signed his scorecard and embraced his 14-month-old son, Bear, providing a Father’s Day moment no trophy could replace. For the 28-year-old, currently ranked 22nd, more opportunities like this are expected. Meanwhile, Scott’s future at 44 appears less certain. His front-nine score of 38 kept him second at the turn, trailing Burns by a single stroke.
However, more deluge and difficulties lay ahead. “It just wasn’t easy out there,” Scott acknowledged. “All things being equal, it’s Sunday of the U.S. Open, one of the hardest setups, and the conditions were the hardest of the week. Thank God it wasn’t like this all week.”