Burns running hot with one-stroke lead
Sam Burns out-duelled fellow American J.J. Spaun down the stretch to grab a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the US Open, setting the stage for a Sunday showdown at punishing Oakmont.
Burns fired a one-under par 69 to stand on four-under 206 after 54 holes with Australian Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, and Spaun sharing second on 207 and Norway's Viktor Hovland fourth on 209.
Burns, whose most recent win came at the 2023 WGC Match Play, and Spaun each found the right rough at 18 but Burns made the green and two-putted for par while Spaun found a bunker and two-putted for bogey.
'I didn't drive the ball as well as I would have liked, but when I got out of position I did a good job of getting myself back in the fairway,' Burns said. 'I was able to convert some of those and kept the momentum going. That was key to the round.'
Spaun, whose only PGA Tour win came at the 2022 Texas Open, shot 69 and was happy despite the setback at 18.
'This is the best I've played in my career, for sure,' Spaun said. 'I'm just happy I'm still within shouting distance — 18 is just a tough hole if you're out of position. Bogeys happen at Oakmont.'
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, birdied three of the last six holes to fire a 67.
The 44-year-old can be the second-oldest US Open winner after American Hale Irwin, who was 45 when he won in 1990. Scott would also have the longest gap between Major titles.
Blasting out
Hovland blasted out of a bunker to set up a tap-in bogey at 17, but made bogey from a bunker at 18 to shoot 70.
The four will play in the last two pairings once again on Sunday in a tension-packed final round for the $4.3 million top prize.
Last-group playing partners Burns and Spaun traded the lead all day, a wild early exchange ending when Burns made a tap-in birdie at the fifth to match Spaun at three-under.
Burns sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-three 13th but fell back with a bogey at 16. Both birdied the 17th before the closing drama.
Mexico's Carlos Ortiz fired a 67 to stand fifth on level par 210, a stumble at the last hole dooming a bogey-free bid.
Ortiz made the cut for only the third time in 10 Majors and has never finished in a Major top 50.
The top scores: 206 - Sam Burns 72-65-69; 207 Adam Scott 70-70-67, J.J. Spaun 66-72-69; 209 - Viktor Hovland 71-68-70; 210 - Carlos Ortiz 71-72-67; 211 - Tyrrell Hatton 73-70-68, Thriston Lawrence 67-74-70; 212 - Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 69-74-69; 213 - Robert Macintyre 70-74-69, Cameron Young 70-74-69.
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