Sam Burns Leads the U.S. Open After an Explosive Round
Oakmont, Pa. – Sam Burns avoided a collapse that ruined his first round at the U.S. Open and achieved a great par on his last hole, securing a 65 under par and the lead after 36 holes. Best of all, he was gone before the real calamity arrived on Friday afternoon at Oakmont.
As Burns climbed the rankings, other players experienced difficult moments. Rory McIlroy threw a club in disgust and smashed a tee marker, although he managed to qualify for the following rounds. Shane Lowry was penalized for lifting his ball without marking it on the 14th hole green.
Thriston Lawrence reached 6 under par, but suffered six bogeys and a double bogey in the following nine holes. Thomas Detry also suffered, with three double bogeys that prevented him from staying at the top. Phil Mickelson, in what is probably his 34th and last U.S. Open, said goodbye to the tournament after two double bogeys in his last four holes.
The second round was brutal, and play was halted due to bad weather just as Lawrence had a 4-foot putt on the last hole. The day ended with rain and 13 players still to complete their round.
Scottie Scheffler, despite coming from three victories, had his sixth consecutive over-par round. Burns, for his part, was a birdie machine, sinking six of them from less than 10 feet.
Burns leads with a total of 137 strokes, one ahead of J.J. Spaun. Viktor Hovland (68) is two strokes behind Burns.
Burns reflected on his performance: “I played really well yesterday apart from the final holes. So I think today was just preparing myself mentally to go out and try to have a good round.”
Burns is the second player in the history of major championships to lead solo after being outside the top 30 after 18 holes. Curtis Strange achieved this feat at the 1989 U.S. Open, which he ultimately won.
Hovland, for his part, had a round full of ups and downs, including two 50-foot shots from off the green, but he stayed in the fight. “I’m very happy with 2 under par, but I also know that at some point I was 4 under. I’m very happy, but also, ‘Man, it could have been a little lower.’ But we’re in a very good place after two days, so I’m happy,” he commented.
Adam Scott and Ben Griffin tied at par, with a total of 140 strokes.
Burns, known for his putting ability, demonstrated his composure with an important par on the 9th hole, saving the situation after a bad shot. “That putt had, I don’t know, 6 feet of break,” he said. “Yeah, it was good to sink it for sure.”
Brooks Koepka remains five strokes away, while Jon Rahm, frustrated by his performance, had a round of 75.
Hovland, with a positive mindset, has managed to stay calm despite the ups and downs of his game. “For some reason, I’ve been in a really good mental state this week,” Hovland said. “I feel like a couple of times, if it had happened in another tournament, for example, I might have lost my head a little bit. But I felt like I kept things together really well.”
