Heavy rain halts play at US Open with overnight leader Sam Burns still ahead
Play was called to a halt at 1601 local time (2101 BST) after a heavy storm arrived in the Pittsburgh area, with large amounts of water gushing off the greens.
Overnight leader Sam Burns had a one-shot advantage over playing partner Adam Scott after both men endured a difficult opening seven holes.
Play was suspended at Oakmont Country Club at 4:01 p.m. ET due to dangerous weather in the area. pic.twitter.com/2IkOmNoT7t
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2025
Burns dropped two shots to sit at two under while Scott fell to one under as both men struggled to get to grips with the course.
England's Tyrrell Hatton moved into joint third after overcoming a difficult start to maintain his overnight position of one over, though he was in trouble on the ninth hole when the heavens opened.
Robert MacIntyre, from Oban in Scotland, also bounced back from two bogeys in the first three holes to move up to seventh on the leaderboard.
His eagle at the par-five fourth hole turned the tide, and a birdie at the ninth sent him back to his overnight score of three over, five behind Burns.
It was a horrible start for JJ Spaun, who came into the day one shot behind Burns, but his chances quickly disintegrated.
A post shared by U.S. Open Championship (@usopengolf)
After bogeying the first, he looked to be putting it right at the second as he sent an approach shot from 94 yards that was so accurate it hit the flag before rolling all the way back down the hill, finishing just 40 yards further forward than his previous shot.
He ended up with a bogey and dropped further shots at the third, fifth and sixth holes as his chances went up in smoke.
Spaniard Jon Rahm was the clubhouse leader when play was suspended.
The 2021 champion has had his problems with the Oakmont course this week, but was in a forgiving mood after he shot a three-under-par 67, the joint best day of the round with Rory McIlroy.
Rahm birdied the final three holes to sit on four under in eight position, now able to sit back and watch as the leaders battle it out in wet conditions when play resumes.
He said: 'It's crazy because it doesn't feel like I played that different to every other round.
Stellar finish by our 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm to equal the round of the day (67). pic.twitter.com/TDa3q4UuJZ
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2025
'Two keys: number one would be I kept it in play off the tee. I'm trying to go through the round. For the most part, I was in the fairway or the first cut most of the entire day.
'Then my lag putting. I had the speed really dialed in today. I felt like I was very comfortable, if you can be at Oakmont, with speeds, and it showed.
'Every long putt I had was nothing but a kick-in and didn't have to stress for it. That helps a lot.'
McIlroy at least went out on a high with his best round of the week, going some way to exorcising the demons of an Oakmont course that had tortured him for the first three days.
The 36-year-old played his best golf of the week, with the sort of accuracy and guile that he would have longed for on Thursday and Friday, carding a three-under-par 67 to finish on seven over.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
JJ Spaun on shattering Robert McIntyre's US Open dream
Spaun's brilliant finish at the brutal Oakmont robbed MacIntyre of the chance to become Scotland's first major champion since 1999 after he burst into contention after an excellent two-under-par 68. That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and the Scot looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play. But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory. MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent. 'It's definitely like a storybook, fairytale ending, kind of underdog fighting back, not giving up, never quitting,' he said. 'With the rain and everything and then the putt, you couldn't write a better story. I'm just so fortunate to be on the receiving end of that. 'Just to finish it off like that is just a dream. You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor's putt, you see crazy moments. 'To have my own moment like that at this championship, I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.' Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention. Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes and four off the lead. Read more: But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory. 'I felt like I had a chance, a really good chance to win the US Open at the start of the day,' he said. 'It just unravelled very fast. But that break was actually the key for me to winning this tournament. 'The tee shot on nine, like my first shot back. That was the hole we got stopped on. I just flushed one, like a nice little cut up the left side. 'And I was like, 'All right, we're back'. I didn't hit too many bad shots after that.' Overnight leader Burns saw his hopes get washed away after the restart. He held a two-shot lead when the rain came but could not cope with the sodden conditions, producing two bogeys to finish tied for seventh on four over. The American Ryder Cup player felt he should have been given free relief due to standing water on the 15th fairway. 'That fairway slopes left to right,' he said. 'That's kind of the low part of the fairway there. 'When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up. Took practice swings and it's just water splashing every single time. 'Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed. 'At the end of the day, it's not up to me, it's up to the rules official. That's kind of that.'
STV News
3 hours ago
- STV News
Robert MacIntyre falls short as JJ Spaun clinches US Open win
Robert MacIntyre fell just short in his bid to win the US Open after JJ Spaun broke his heart with a dazzling display at the death. MacIntyre burst into contention to become Scotland's first major winner since 1999 on Sunday at a rain-soaked Oakmont after producing an excellent two-under-par 68. That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and he looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play. But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory. MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent. He became a major champion for the first time and was the only man to finish in the red with a score of one under. While the 17th hole helped Spaun's dreams come true, it killed Tyrell Hatton's. The Englishman was in a five-way tie for the lead at one over when he found himself still in the rough after three shots. He bogeyed that and then the 18th to finish three over. Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention. Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes. But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory. Indeed, Burns and Scott could not cope after the restart as they seemed in competition to see who could find the worst positions in the rough. Burns was the overnight leader at four under but his round disintegrated after the resumption, with two double bogeys in an ugly round of eight over par to finish tied for seventh on four over. Scott, hoping to win a major for the first time in 12 years, fared even worse, going round in 79. Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler ended up tied for seventh after impressive rounds, while Rory McIlroy produced his best round of a difficult week to finish on seven over. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
JJ Spaun on shattering Robert McIntyre's US Open dream
That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and the Scot looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play. But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory. MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent. 'It's definitely like a storybook, fairytale ending, kind of underdog fighting back, not giving up, never quitting,' he said. 'With the rain and everything and then the putt, you couldn't write a better story. I'm just so fortunate to be on the receiving end of that. 'Just to finish it off like that is just a dream. You watch other people do it. You see the Tiger chip, you see Nick Taylor's putt, you see crazy moments. 'To have my own moment like that at this championship, I'll never forget this moment for the rest of my life.' Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention. Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes and four off the lead. Read more: But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory. 'I felt like I had a chance, a really good chance to win the US Open at the start of the day,' he said. 'It just unravelled very fast. But that break was actually the key for me to winning this tournament. 'The tee shot on nine, like my first shot back. That was the hole we got stopped on. I just flushed one, like a nice little cut up the left side. 'And I was like, 'All right, we're back'. I didn't hit too many bad shots after that.' Overnight leader Burns saw his hopes get washed away after the restart. He held a two-shot lead when the rain came but could not cope with the sodden conditions, producing two bogeys to finish tied for seventh on four over. The American Ryder Cup player felt he should have been given free relief due to standing water on the 15th fairway. 'That fairway slopes left to right,' he said. 'That's kind of the low part of the fairway there. 'When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up. Took practice swings and it's just water splashing every single time. 'Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed. 'At the end of the day, it's not up to me, it's up to the rules official. That's kind of that.'
