Sam Burns seizes third round US Open lead with Adam Scott and JJ Spaun one back

Economic Times

18 hours ago

AP Sam Burns reacts to his chip shot onto the 17th green during the third round of the US Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Sam Burns grabbed a one-stroke advantage by scoring one-under-par 69, leading ahead of JJ Spaun and Adam Scott after Saturday's third round at the US Open.Burns, who clinched victory at the 2023 WGC Match Play, maintained four-under 206 after 54 holes at Oakmont Country Club.
Spaun, with his sole PGA Tour victory at the 2022 Texas Open, recorded 69 with a bogey at the 18th hole to share the second position at 207.
Scott, who won the Masters in 2013, secured three birdies in the final six holes to score 67 and reach 207, positioning himself two strokes ahead of Viktor Hovland from Norway in fourth place. The quartet will compete in the final two groups on Sunday for the championship round, vying for the $4.3 million winner's purse.
Burns and Spaun, who played together in the last group, exchanged the lead throughout the day. Their intense early competition concluded when Burns scored a close-range birdie at the fifth hole to equal Spaun at three-under.Burns seized the outright lead at four-under by making a seven-foot birdie putt on the par-three 13th hole, but later dropped a shot with a bogey at the 16th.The duo each scored birdies on the 17th, with Burns placing his approach shot extremely close to the hole while Spaun successfully holed a putt from nearly 14 feet away.On the final hole, both players' tee shots found the right rough. Burns managed to reach the green, whereas Spaun's ball landed in a bunker.After Spaun's bunker shot and subsequent two putts resulted in a bogey, Burns clinched the solo lead by converting a four-foot putt foScott, 44, can become the second-oldest US Open champion, following American Hale Irwin who clinched victory at 45 in 1990.Scott demonstrated precision by placing his tee shot within five feet of the par-three 13th hole and followed it with an exceptional approach shot at the 14th that stopped inches from the cup, resulting in birdies. He successfully managed a bunker shot at the 17th and converted a 14-foot putt for birdie.Hovland recovered from a bunker at the 17th hole, settling for a straightforward bogey, but encountered difficulty at the 18th where he made another bogey after finding the sand.
Big names struggled with Rory McIlroy, ranked second, faced difficulties as he recorded bogeys on three of his final five holes, finishing with a 74 and a total of 220. The Northern Irish golfer, who achieved a career Grand Slam with his Masters victory for his fifth major championship, struggled throughout.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, aiming to secure consecutive major championships following his victory at last month's PGA Championship, posted a 70. His round included four birdies and four bogeys, with a notable five-foot birdie putt at the seventeenth hole, placing him at 214 after three rounds.