What a cruel Sunday afternoon it was for Sam Burns. Not only did the 28-year-old shoot an 8-over 78 in the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club to blow his chance at securing his first major championship, but he also lost out on nearly $4 million in the process. Woof.
Burns entered the final round as the solo leader at 4-under par, but his lead didn't last long. The Louisiana native made two bogeys in his first five holes to fall back to the pack.
After a lengthy rain delay, still at 2-over for the day, he returned to the soggy golf course and went bogey-birdie on the ninth and 10th holes. Just as it seemed like he had steadied the ship, Burns made a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole and a bogey at the par-5 12th.
Burns was still in the mix at 1-over for the championship through his first 14 holes of the final round, but it all came unraveled at the par-4 15th.
Sitting one shot back of J.J. Spaun at the time, Burns hit the fairway on the difficult par-4 but ended up in a soaked section of the short grass. He asked for a ruling on the standing water but was denied twice.
Burns played from the wet lie and pulled his iron shot into the thick rough, resulting in a double bogey. He ultimately went bogey-birdie-bogey in his last three holes to fall back to a tie for seventh place.
This is where Burns just hit on 15. pic.twitter.com/DaA0JyX1nQ
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) June 15, 2025
Burns entered Sunday as the favorite to win the U.S. Open and the corresponding $4.3 million winner's share, but his 78 dropped him to a T7 finish, which gave him a payout of $614,423. That's a cruel difference of $3,685,577.
Fans and media pundits were quick to blame the rules officials for ruining Burns' chances to win his first major, but he can't use that as an excuse.
Even if he got relief and found a way to par the tough 15th hole, he still would've shot a 6-over 76 and lost to Spaun by three shots. Burns went 6-over in his last 10 holes following the rain delay, whereas Spaun birdied four of his final seven holes in the same conditions to win the tournament.
The U.S. Open is always about fighting through adversity, but that was especially true on this rain-soaked Sunday at Oakmont.
Spaun battled brutal lies, unlucky breaks, and stormy weather all day and still played his best golf when it mattered most. That's the difference between a deserving U.S. Open champion and a player who lost out on millions of dollars with every mental and physical mistake he made down the stretch.