OAKMONT, PA. Sam Burns moved to the top of the leaderboard with a brilliant five-under-par round of 65 in the second round of the 125th US Open at Oakmont.
He is only one of three players to finish the opening two rounds under-par as the demanding host site punished players when the slightest miscues happened. A two-round total of 147 was good enough to secure a spot to play during the weekend round.
Burns was on fire in his second round – scoring six birdies against one single bogey. His 65 is the third lowest round ever scored at the famed Pittsburgh-area club.
The second round for Burns started at the 10th hole and he scored six birdies against a lone bogey. His round culminated with a 26-foot par save on the 9th hole. How good was the round? Burns beat the field average by 9.75 shots. When Johnny Miller won the championship in 1973 his 18-hole score of 63, he beat the field average by 10.77 strokes. Going back in recent times – in 1980 at Baltusrol Golf Club both Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf bettered the field by the sizeable amount of 11.63 shots.
The 28-year-old Louisianian was clearly pleased with the results given the persistent pushback Oakmont inflicted on others in the field.
“I think mentally there’s no just kind of gimme hole. There’s no hole where you can get up there and just hit it and not really pay attention to what you’re trying to do,” said Burns. “I think it requires a lot of focus on every shot, and even when you’re in the rough and you’re trying to get it back in the fairway, it’s just every shot is difficult. So really you’re very focused and putting a lot into every shot mentally, and I think over time that’s just pretty taxing.”
Burns came into US Open week after losing in a playoff to Ryan Fox at the RBC Canadian Open. His success in Canada came about via a final round 62 and his effort there nearly pushed him to his 6th win on the PGA Tour.
The 22nd ranked player in the world realizes that there are two rounds still to play and given the mighty challenge Oakmont provides there’s little reason to get too comfortable.
“Look, it’s a 72-hole golf tournament, and if you can get a round under par out here, no matter if it’s 1-under, you’ll take it. I think today was really nice with the finish I had yesterday, and it felt like I played really well.”
Burns has only had one previous top ten in a major – the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst.
But the two-time Presidents Cup member in 2022 and 2024 along with being USA Ryder cup member in 2024 knows that more golf awaits and the journey to the finish line will mean numerous challenges to face.
“Honestly, I didn’t really think of much of a score. Like I said, the golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what’s a good score and what’s not. You’re really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can.”
Nonetheless, Burns is ready to go for what lies ahead.
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
***
10 Things to Know
Round 2
125th US Open
Oakmont Country Club
Courtesy: Elias Sports Bureau
• Fewest Players Under Par through 36 holes, US Open since 2000:
2007 0 (Oakmont CC) 2006 1 (Winged Foot GC) 2018 1 (Shinnecock Hills) 2013 2 (Merion GC) 2002 2 (Bethpage Black) 2012 3 (The Olympic Club) 2025 3 (Oakmont CC) 2. The scoring on the Front 9 through 36 holes is 38.096 while the scoring on the Back 9 is 36.613. The scoring average through 36 holes is 74.709 (+4.709), which is the highest average score relative to par at the US Open since 2018 (+5.04 at Shinnecock Hills through 36 holes).
• Sam Burns and Viktor Hovland lead all players with 11 birdies/eagles each. Consider that Dustin Johnson won the 2016 US Open at Oakmont CC while making just 11 birdies/eagles for the entire championship!
• Sam Burns became the 12th player ever to shoot 65 or lower during one US Open round at Oakmont. Burns gained an incredible 9.782 strokes on the field in the second round. That is the highest single round gain at the US Open since Mike Weir gained 9.81 strokes on the field in the first round at Bethpage Black in 2009 (shooting 64 when the field scoring average was 73.81).
• Victor Perez aced the sixth hole in the second round, becoming just the second player ever to make a hole-in-one during a US Open at Oakmont CC. Scott Simpson hit one on #16 in 1983 (1st round). Two players made a hole-in-one at Pinehurst No. 2 last year (Francesco Molinari and Sepp Straka). Overall, Perez’s was the 54th hole in one in US Open history.
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1933551764328100334
• For the first time since 2021, no player among the top-5 and ties on the 36-hole leader board has a US Open championship on his resume.
• Scottie Scheffler (73-71) has shot over par in each of his last six US Open rounds, including all four rounds last year at Pinehurst No. 2.
• Rory McIlroy played two-under par over his final seven holes on Friday to finish inside the cut line. Having missed the cut last week at the RBC Canadian Open, it would have been the first time that he missed the cut in each of back-to-back weeks since 2010.
• In 11 of the last 12 US Opens, the eventual champion was among the top 5 on the 36-hole leaderboard. The exception is Matt Fitzpatrick who was T13 after 36 holes at The Country Club in 2022.
• Adam Scott (44 years, 332 days) is the fifth-oldest player since 2000 to be among the top-5 and ties on the 36-hole US Open leaderboard, behind only Richard Bland (48-135 in 2021), Steve Stricker (46-111 in 2013), Rocco Mediate (45-180 in 2008) and David Toms (45-163 in 2012). Adam Scott (T4 after 36 holes) is among the top-10 after 36 holes of a US Open for just the second time in 24 appearances… and the previous instance was 20 years ago! He was T10 after 36 holes at the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst #2 (and finished T28). Adam Scott is the only player to shoot even par or better in both rounds this week.
