
What is an albatross in golf? Patrick Reed's U.S. Open shot, explained.
You've heard of a bunch of golf terms throughout your life, even if you're not a huge fan of the sport: birdie, eagle, hole-in-one, bogey, etc.
But now you're seeing something about an "albatross," like the one hit by Patrick Reed (who's known for having a lot of haters) at the 2025 U.S. Open. If you're here, you may be wondering: what the heck is an albatross?
You've come to the right place! We can explain it all for you, and yes, like the other birds we listed above, it's part of the family of scores on your golf scorecard.
What is an albatross in golf?
If a birdie is one under the par for a hole, and an eagle is two-under for a hole (e.g. three strokes on a par-5 hole), then an albatross is THREE strokes under par one a hole.
Yes, you can hit a hole-in-one on par-4, but these mainly happen when a player hits it in the hole in two on a par-5.
Just ask Reed at the 2025 U.S. Open, the fourth in the tournament's history:
How many golfers have hit an albatross?
I don't have that number in front of me. But here's one from a 2024 Champions Tour stop that was pretty cool:
And here's a video with a bunch of them:

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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
The ‘ridiculous' Korn Ferry Tour rule that left New Jersey native Ryan McCormick annoyed at US Open
OAKMONT, Pa. — Ryan McCormick, who made the cut at the U.S. Open on the number on Friday at 7-over par, should be exhilarated to be playing the weekend at Oakmont, his first major championship. But McCormick, one of five Metro Area players in the field this week, expressed disappointment when he finished his third round in 76 on Saturday because Korn Ferry Tour players don't receive points for qualifying for a major or even making the cut in one. Advertisement 'It's frustrating,'' McCormick, a Middletown, N.J. native, said. 'We don't get points for making the cut here. It's the only tour in the world that doesn't get points for making a cut at a major. It's clearly ridiculous. It's terrible.'' McCormick, who is 13-over, embraced the challenge the USGA delivers at the U.S. Open. 5 Ryan McCormick hits a shot during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 14, 2025. AP 'I love the test out here,'' he said. 'I wish every week was like the U.S. Open. It's demanding. You have to hit quality shots. You've got to think about where you're going. You've got to do everything on your own. It's you against yourself and the course, and I love the challenge.'' Advertisement His fellow Korn Ferry Tour local, James Nicholas, from Scarsdale, is 12-over after shooting 75 on Saturday. Among the three other players from the Metro Area, Westchester's Cameron Young is not out of contention at 3-over par, seven shots back, after shooting 69 Saturday. Chris Gotterup, from Fair Haven, N.J., is 4-over par and eight shots back after shooting his second consecutive 69. Advertisement And Max Greyserman, from Short Hills, N.J., is also 4-over par after shooting 71 on Saturday. Keegan Bradley, the current U.S. Ryder Cup captain, sounded very bullish on Sam Burns, who had the 36-hole lead and has the 54-hole lead with a 65 on Friday and 67 Saturday. 5 Keegan Bradley reacts during the third round of the U.S. Open. Imagn Images Advertisement Burns' 65 was the third-lowest round played in the 10 U.S. Opens held at Oakmont, behind only Johnny Miller's 63 in 1973 and Loren Roberts' 64 in 1994. 'He's such a great player, and he's been trending,'' Bradley said. 'He seems to have a U.S. Open mentality. I was watching him [Friday] and I just kept saying it looks like he's up for the challenge today, and he was.'' Bradley wasn't a fan of the USGA boasting before the tournament that it wanted the players to use all 15 clubs — the 14 in their bag and the one between their ears (the mind) — to win a U.S. Open. 'The USGA can say all they want, but we're professional golfers,'' Bradley said. 'This is what we do for a living. I don't agree with that. We go out here every day and try to be professionals, and we know when it comes to a major, whether it's a U.S. Open, British Open, Masters, PGA, that we have to be on top of our game mentally. 'The USGA is not doing that, we're doing that.'' Advertisement Cool U.S. Open story. Philip Barbaree Jr., who got into the field through qualifying, was one of the 13 players who had to come out to Oakmont early Saturday morning to complete the second round thanks to Friday's weather suspension. He had to make a five-foot par putt to make the cut at 7-over par and he made it, fist-pumping and giving his wife and caddie, Chloe, a big hug. 5 Philip Barbaree Jr. is pictured during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 14. Getty Images He's previously qualified for the 2018 U.S. Open, but missed the cut. Advertisement A short time later, Barbaree, who grew up with Burns in Shreveport, La., was the first to tee off for the third round, and played with a club-member marker because of the odd number of players to make the cut. 'A lot of pent-up emotion and stress from sleeping last night — or not sleeping last night — knowing that I pretty much had to come out and make par on one of the hardest holes on the course,'' Barbaree said after shooting 75 on Saturday. 'And then to actually do it, that's what you practice for. To be able to pull off a shot like that when it matters, and then with her on the bag, it's special.'' Among the 15 amateurs in the field, Justin Hastings was the only one among them to make the cut, finishing 6-over par through 36 holes. Advertisement 5 Justin Hastings, pictured during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 14, was the only amateur to make the cut. Getty Images He shot 73 on Saturday and is 9-over. The 21-year-old Hastings, from the Cayman Islands, said he plans to turn pro after the British Open next month. Advertisement Early Saturday as the third round was getting underway, the USGA had Jack Nicklaus, the 1962 U.S. Open winner at Oakmont, and Miller, the 1973 winner at Oakmont, into the interview room for some reminiscence. Nicklaus was asked what the 'key'' was to his win as a 22-year-old that year. 'The key was to beat Arnold Palmer,'' Nicklaus said. 'Arnie was the top player in the game at the time. He had won the Masters earlier in the year. He was the guy you had to beat if you wanted to win, and particularly here. 5 Jack Nicklaus (l.) and Johnny Miller (r.) are pictured during a press conference at the U.S. Open on June 14. Imagn Images 'I didn't know anything about Oakmont. I didn't realize, as a 22-year-old, that I was in Arnold Palmer's backyard.'' Palmer, of course, was from nearby Latrobe, Pa., which remains a shrine to his greatness. Both former players were asked about the $21.5 million prize purse this week, with $4.3 million going to the winner. 'Would I have loved to have had what's going on here when we played? Yeah,'' Nicklaus said. 'Obviously, all of us would. But I know Johnny and myself both trail-blazed the way for what's happening today. I think if you look back at [Ben] Hogan and [Sam] Snead and those guys, they trail blazed it for us. 'Would [the money] have changed our lives? I would hope not.''


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
US Open leaderboard updates: Scores, highlights as Sam Burns leads before final round
US Open leaderboard updates: Scores, highlights as Sam Burns leads before final round Show Caption Hide Caption J.J. Spaun calls it his best putting day of the year J.J. Spaun navigated Oakmont's tough setup with sharp putting and gritty play in round one of the U.S. Open. USGA The dust has settled after moving day at the 2025 U.S. Open. American Sam Burns (-3) sits atop the leaderboard following the third round of play on Saturday at Oakmont Country Club, which has proven to be a challenge as only four golfers are currently under par. Adam Scott (-2), J.J. Spaun (-2), Viktor Hovland (-1) and Carols Ortiz (E) rounds out the top five. Bryson DeChambeau will not defend his 2024 U.S. Open crown as he was one of golf's stars to miss the cut. DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Akshay Bhatia all finished 10-over-par. Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Shane Lowry are among the other big names who missed the cut (which was 7-over). USA TODAY Sports provided complete coverage of Saturday's third round: 1. Sam Burns: -4 (F) (F) T2. J.J. Spaun: -3 (F) (F) T2. Adam Scott: -3 (F) (F) 4. Viktor Hovland: -1 (F) (F) 5. Carlos Ortiz: E (F) (F) T6. Thriston Lawrence: +1 (F) (F) T6. Tyrrell Hatton: +1 (F) (F) 8. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen: +2 (F) (F) T9. Robert MacIntyre: +3 (F) (F) T9. Cameron Young: +3 (F) ➤ Complete U.S. Open leaderboard Adam Scott is climbing up the leaderboard. The Australian golfer birdied three of the past five holes to move into the co-lead at 3-under on the day. He's carded four total birdes in the third round and one bogey. Scott, who turns age 45 next month, looks to become one of the oldest players to win the U.S. Open. Hale Irwin became the oldest champion when he won the 1990 U.S. Open while aged 45 years and 15 days. Sam Burns is alone at the top. Burns took sole possession of the lead at the 2025 U.S. Open after sinking a birdie on hole No. 13, marking his second birdie of the third round. He saved par on hole No. 14 to maintain his one-stroke lead over J.J. Spaun through 14 holes. After scoring two-over on the front nine, Ben Griffin notched birdied on two of three holes to get his score back to even and into a tie for fourth place. A bogey on No. 18 was Carlos Ortiz's only blemish to an otherwise splendid third round at the U.S. Open. Ortiz finished the day with a 3-under, which puts him at even heading into Sunday's final round. In addition to the bogey, Ortiz had four birdies and pars on the other 13 holes. He enters the clubhouse three strokes behind J.J. Spaun and Sam Burns, who currently share the lead. Tyrell Hatton is back to even at the U.S. Open after putting up three birdies over his past four holes. Hatton is 3-under for the day. Carlos Ortiz went into the clubhouse after Friday's second round at 3 over par, but he's in the thick of contention after a sizzling third round at Oakmont. Ortiz has made four birdies and 10 pars to move to 1-under after 14 holes. He's in third place, just two strokes behind co-leaders J.J. Spaun and Sam Burns. J.J. Spaun drained the first birdie on No. 1 of the day and got himself into a tie for the lead with Sam Burns. Sam Burns (-3) and J.J. Spaun (-2) took their tee shots for the third round, as two of three golfers who are currently under par. Viktor Hovland began the day two shots back and bogeyed his first hole of the day, while J.J. Spaun took a share of the lead with a birdie on his first hole. Brooks Koepka, the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open champion, began his third round at 2-over tied for ninth as the final five groups get set for their rounds with the last group starting at 3:35 p.m. Koepka started off on the par 4, 487-yard first hole and missed for a 10-foot par putt to start his day to push him back to 3-over. The $21.5 million total purse is the same as it was last year, and the winner will also take home the same amount that Bryson DeChambeau did when he won at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2024. 1st: $4,300,000 2nd: $2,322,000 3rd: $1,459,284 4th: $1,023,014 5th: $852,073 6th: $755,520 7th: $681,131 8th: $610,034 9th: $552,103 10th: $507,118 11th: $462,792 12th: $427,901 13th: $398,716 14th: $367,995 15th: $341,663 16th: $319,719 17th: $302,164 18th: $284,609 19th: $267,054 20th: $249,499 21st: $234,358 22nd: $219,217 23rd: $204,515 24th: $190,910 25th: $179,060 26th: $168,966 27th: $161,286 28th: $154,483 29th: $147,900 30th: $141,317 31st: $134,734 32nd: $128,151 33rd: $121,567 34th: $115,643 35th: $110,815 36th: $105,987 37th: $101,379 38th: $96,991 39th: $92,602 40th: $88,213 41st: $83,824 42nd: $79,436 43rd: $75,047 44th: $70,658 45th: $66,269 46th: $62,320 47th: $58,370 48th: $54,639 49th: $52,445 50th: $50,251 51st: $48,934 52nd: $47,837 53rd: $46,959 54th: $46,520 55th: $46,081 56th: $45,642 57th: $45,203 58th: $44,765 59th: $44,326 60th: $43,887 61st: $43,448 62nd: $43,009 63rd: $42,570 64th: $42,131 65th: $41,692 66th: $41,254 If golfers are expecting to get off to a fast start in the third round, the first two holes haven't been cooperative. The first two holes have produced only three birdies for the more-than-30 golfers that have taken the course on Saturday, and the first hole, a par 4, 487-yard hole, hasn't recorded a single birdie. The back nine isn't much better with one birdie carded on the 10th hole. 2026: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club - Southampton, New York (June 18-21) 2027: Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, California (June 17-20) 2028: Winged Foot Golf Club - Mamaroneck, New York (June 15-18) 2029: Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2) - Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina (June 14-17) 2030: Merion Golf Club - Ardmore, Pennsylvania (June 13-16) 2031: Riviera Country Club- Pacific Palisades, California (June 12-15) 2032: Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, California (June 17-20) 2033: Oakmont Country Club - Oakmont, Pennsylvania (June 16-19) 2034: Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) - Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (June 15-18) 2035: Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2) - Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina (June 14-17) As the third round commences, those who are already on the golf course are having a tough time posting positive scores, with a light rain soaking the course. Almost two hours into the round, only two golfers are under par, with very few birdies. Brian Harmon got a birdie at the par-five four to improve to 6-over and Matthew Fitzpatrick has the same score after his 31-foot birdie putt on 600-yard par-five fourth hole. Rory McIlroy, who won this tournament in 2011 and finished second in 2023 and 2024, has begun his third round and sits at 6-over through 36 holes. Sam Burns is the 36-hole leader at the U.S. Open after the second round was completed early Saturday morning and is only one of five players who are above par heading into the weekend. The third round is underway with golfers who barely made the cut line at 7-over par, starting with Philip Barbaree, Jr. and Cam Davis being among nine golfers set to tee off before 10 a.m. ET. U.S. Open 2025 live leaderboard 1. Sam Burns: -3 (F) (F) 2. J.J. Spaun: -2 (F) (F) 3. Viktor Hovland: -1 (F) (F) T4. Adam Scott: E (F) (F) T4. Ben Griffin: E (F) (F) T6. Victor Perez: +1 (F) (F) T6. Thriston Lawrence: +1 (through 17) (through 17) T8. Russell Henley +2 (F) (F) T8. Brooks Koepka +2 (F) (F) T8. Si Woo Kim: +2 (F) (F) T8. Thomas Detry: +2 (F) Click here to see the complete U.S. Open leaderboard When will U.S. Open second round finish today? Thirteen golfers were still on the course when the second round was suspended for inclement weather. All 13 had completed at least 16 holes, and each will pick up exactly where they left off on Saturday, June 14, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET. South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, who is tied for sixth on the leaderboard at +1, is among the golfers that still need to complete the second round. Two other golfers – Chris Gotterup (+5 through 17) and Philip Barbaree Jr. (+6 through 16) are hovering around the projected cut line of +7. Where to watch the U.S. Open: TV channel, streaming Saturday The 2025 U.S. Open is being broadcast by NBC and USA Network, with the two networks splitting coverage for the third and final rounds. All rounds of the U.S. Open will be live streamed on Peacock, the USGA app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Peacock will also broadcast U.S. Open All-Access, its whip-around style offering, for every round. Third round: Saturday, June 14 10 a.m.-Noon ET on USA Network, Fubo Noon-8 p.m. ET on NBC, Fubo Watch the U.S. Open on Fubo (free trial) Tee times for the third round have been set. Here's the complete schedule, pairings, with all players teeing off from the No. 1 tee: All times Eastern; (a) amateur 9:12 a.m. – Philip Barbaree, Jr. Philip Barbaree, Jr. 9:23 a.m. – Cam Davis, Brian Harman Cam Davis, Brian Harman 9:34 a.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Andrew Novak Matt Fitzpatrick, Andrew Novak 9:45 a.m. – Harris English, Hideki Matsuyama Harris English, Hideki Matsuyama 9:56 a.m. – James Nicholas, Laurie Canter James Nicholas, Laurie Canter 10:07 a.m. – Ryan McCormick, Patrick Reed Ryan McCormick, Patrick Reed 10:18 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Niklas Norgaard Ryan Gerard, Niklas Norgaard 10:34 a.m. – Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele 10:45 a.m. – Jordan Smith, Justin Hastings (a) Jordan Smith, Justin Hastings (a) 10:56 a.m. – Tony Finau, Marc Leishman Tony Finau, Marc Leishman 11:07 a.m. – Michael Kim, Corey Conners Michael Kim, Corey Conners 11:18 a.m. – J.T. Poston, Matt Wallace J.T. Poston, Matt Wallace 11:29 a.m. – Chris Gotterup, Johnny Keefer Chris Gotterup, Johnny Keefer 11:40 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Tom Kim Maverick McNealy, Tom Kim 11:56 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Matthieu Pavon Mackenzie Hughes, Matthieu Pavon 12:07 p.m. – Sungjae Im, Jordan Spieth Sungjae Im, Jordan Spieth 12:18 p.m. – Ryan Fox, Robert MacIntyre Ryan Fox, Robert MacIntyre 12:29 p.m. – Taylor Pendrith, Trevor Cone Taylor Pendrith, Trevor Cone 12:40 p.m. – Rasmus Højgaard, Aaron Rai Rasmus Højgaard, Aaron Rai 12:51 p.m. – Daniel Berger, Jhonattan Vegas Daniel Berger, Jhonattan Vegas 1:02 p.m. – Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler 1:18 p.m. – Collin Morikawa, Denny McCarthy Collin Morikawa, Denny McCarthy 1:29 p.m. – Jon Rahm, Nick Taylor Jon Rahm, Nick Taylor 1:40 p.m. – Sam Stevens, Keegan Bradley Sam Stevens, Keegan Bradley 1:51 p.m. – Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Carlos Ortiz Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Carlos Ortiz 2:02 p.m. – Chris Kirk, Jason Day Chris Kirk, Jason Day 2:13 p.m. – Tyrrell Hatton, Christiaan Bezuidenhout Tyrrell Hatton, Christiaan Bezuidenhout 2:24 p.m. – Adam Schenk, Max Greyserman Adam Schenk, Max Greyserman 2:40 p.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Thomas Detry Emiliano Grillo, Thomas Detry 2:51 p.m. – Si Woo Kim, Brooks Koepka Si Woo Kim, Brooks Koepka 3:02 p.m. – Russell Henley, Thriston Lawrence Russell Henley, Thriston Lawrence 3:13 p.m. – Victor Perez, Ben Griffin Victor Perez, Ben Griffin 3:24 p.m. – Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland Adam Scott, Viktor Hovland 3:35 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns It could be a frustrating day for both competitors and fans if the weather forecast holds, which calls for a 100% chance of precipitation. The Weather Channel is projecting rain in the morning at Oakmont then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. The day will begin with temperatures in the high 60s before reaching a high of 75 degrees. Humidity is expected to be around 90%. All odds via BetMGM as of evening of Friday, June 13


USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Adam Scott: U.S. Open betting odds and preview
Adam Scott: U.S. Open betting odds and preview Adam Scott is in second position, with a score of -3, following the third round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC. In the past year, Adam Scott has competed in 18 events. His best finish was second, and his average finish was 24th, with four top fives. Adam Scott odds to win the U.S. Open PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 10:22 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Odds to win: +7000, bet $100 to win $7000 Scott's stats and trends Scott has finished with a score lower than the tournament average in two of his last five appearances, including one finish within three strokes of the leader. He has an average score relative to par of -2 in his last five appearances. Over his last five events, Scott has finished in the top five once. Scott's recent results the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: 79-69-73-72 (+5) - Finished 31st 79-69-73-72 (+5) - Finished 31st PGA Championship: 69-71-69-73 (-2) - Finished 19th 69-71-69-73 (-2) - Finished 19th Truist Championship: 68-70-70-68 (-4) - Finished 34th 68-70-70-68 (-4) - Finished 34th RBC Heritage: 68-70-69-73 (-4) - Finished 49th How to watch the U.S. Open Date: June 12-15, 2025 June 12-15, 2025 Location: Oakmont, PA Oakmont, PA TV Channel: USA Network USA Network Live stream: Watch LIVE with Fubo! ESPN+ is the new home of PGA TOUR LIVE. Sign up now to access 4,300+ hours of live coverage from 35 PGA TOUR tournaments this year.