Like any savvy patient who gets a bad diagnosis, Sam Burns wanted a second opinion. When his drive on Oakmont’s par-4 15th hole stayed on the fairway next to the first cut, he seemed to catch a good break. But when Burns arrived at the ball, it looked and felt to him that it was sitting in standing water from the day’s earlier heavy rain storm.

Sam Burns entered the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open in the lead, and it appeared he might be the only player to survive Oakmont. That was not the case.

Sam Burns took a one-shot lead into the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont. From there, things did not go well.