OAKMONT, Pa. — Sam Burns wobbled just twice on the flooded OAKMONT course Saturday, nervously with a huge delay from just 60 feet of the 1-under 69 final hole, leaving a margin of error, remaining one round away from the US open title.
Burns, who has never competed in the previous 20 majors, will then take on Sunday pressure on golf’s toughest Test. Adam Scott, the 44-year-old Australian and the only player in the top 10, won the majors.
Scott, who had only majors at the Masters 12 years ago, has not made any mistakes since the soft bogey in the opening hole.
This was a wild chase to the finish, and only four players looked good. This starts with Burns at 4 under 206. He has the last one PGA Tour title, more than two years ago. He suffered a playoff loss at the Canadian Open last week.
JJ Spaun, who lost the playoffs at the players’ championship in March, was unable to save Parr from the bunker and kept pace with Burns through the back nine until the very end when he was able to shoot a 69.
“We seemed like an exchange,” Spawn said. “He takes the lead, I’ll lead, I’ll retreat anything. But it was fun. You can’t really play your opponent. You could play this course.
Another Parr survivor was Victor Hofland. He laughed like anyone on the course that has been upset with so many people all week. Hofland retrieved a bogey from the opening tee shot by the bushes and shot an exquisite shot from a muddy kart pass.
However, he hit a pin on the ninth hole on the uphill for a birdie, hitting an astonishing wedge from the cabbage on the left of No. 17 Green, then hit a tap-in birdie. He bogie closed on the 18th with rough roughness that was raining for the 70, and three people were late
“I know well that tomorrow we have a chance. If we shoot a low round of golf tomorrow, something could happen,” Hofland said. “But I have a lot of great players around me. Adam Scott had a great round today and he didn’t miss a shot.
Carlos Ortiz submitted one of his most notable performances by going bogey-free in 30 consecutive holes. The streak ended on the 18th, but the Mexican was only 67 years old and very ranged with an even number of 210.
Missing in the mix was Scotty Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, who won three of his last four tournaments at the US Open. Schaeffler found no momentum. One important stretch came just before my turn.
After drilling a hole in the sixth 20-foot birdie putt, Schaeffler drove rough on No. 7 and saved par after hitting the wedge three feet. But then what looked like the eighth tap-imper on a long par-3 turned into a shocking mistake.
He got caught up in 70 people and moved him from 23rd to just outside the top 10. But he was eight shots behind Barnes.
“I put myself in this position,” Schaeffler said. “That’s not a position I want to be in, but I did a good job hanging out there and staying in the tournament.”
The best news about this US opening was that the weather didn’t get in the way and finished the third round. It’s been raining since Oakmont was played on Friday evening. The USGA offered to refund tickets to spectators who didn’t want to go through the Mac.
The divot, photographed from the fairway, looked furry, and the green was softer and more receptive. As the umbrella came out and the sun was shining, there was one spell midway through the round.
Everyone fell together and tried desperately to avoid the uncut rocks and greenery.
Burns, 28, from Louisiana, had the appearance of someone who decided to add his list to the younger Americans. He took the most unusual route in the sturdy third hole with a well well on the left, a church pue bunker and a drive to the adjacent fourth fairway, allowing him to avoid blind shots.
He picked up birdies with a wedge from the fairway to No. 5 backpin and took a tee shot up to 7 feet in accessible par 3 13th place. Equally important was the three times I saved a par from the fairway after leaving my position from the tee.
Then came the closing stretch. He clipped a lace wedge towards the backpin and stepped on the short par 4 on the 17th. And he took a break when he drove roughly on the 18th, grabbing a rare lie at Oakmont, allowing him to reach the back of the green, nearly 60 feet away. He gently rolled the putt four feet for the final par and lead.