U.S. Open: Sam Burns and Viktor Hovland in prime position entering final 36 holes
OAKMONT — The last time the U.S. Open was played at Oakmont Country Club, champion Dustin Johnson combined for 11 birdies and eagles across 72 holes.
Through two rounds of the 125th U.S. Open, both Viktor Hovland and Sam Burns have already matched that mark at this year's championship per Elias Sports.
Advertisement
Burns almost played a clean round of golf on the second day at the U.S. Open, bogeying just one hole on the first while carding six birdies, four of which came on the back nine to open up his day.
Required Reading: 2025 U.S. Open: Victor Perez records first ace in championship at Oakmont since 1983
The Shreveport, La., native shot an impressive 65 on the day after shooting four under par on the back nine to begin his day.
The latter half of the course was far friendlier than in the first round, where he bogeyed three of the last four holes and double bogeyed one.
'I played really well yesterday other than the finishing holes, Burns said. 'Today I was just focused on getting mentally ready to come out and try to put a good round together. I feel like I've been playing well coming off last week, into this week and my round yesterday. You just need to get yourself in position and give yourself as many looks as you can.'
Sam Burns watches his ball's flight after hitting his second shot on No. 12 during the second round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. on June 13, 2025.
Hovland also put together a bounce back, and while he did not card the same as Burns, he still shot a 68 to put him (-1) thru 36 holes.
Advertisement
The Norway native had a fairly clean first nine holes starting on the back nine, sinking birdies on the 10th and 12th holes. He then eagled the par 4 on the 17th after almost driving the green and landing in the rough, chipped in from around 56-feet out.
On the front nine, Hovland struggled on the second, carding a double bogey. His shot off the tee landed in the right rough followed by another shot that landed in the bunker.
After getting out of the bunker on his third shot — having to go back onto the fairway because he was against the lip — Hovland found the green with his fourth shot before two putting.
'I played really well up until that point and didn't want to miss it left off the tee, so I oversliced it a foot in the rough,' Hovland said. 'I was expecting a lie that I could chase up the green but couldn't even cover the bunker and was up against the lip.'
Advertisement
Both Burns and Hovland are now in prime position heading into the final 36 holes after their strong second rounds.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: U.S. Open: Sam Burns and Viktor Hovland in prime position after second round
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler Assigns Blames for Falling Short at US Open
Scottie Scheffler Assigns Blames for Falling Short at US Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer in the world, but even he found himself humbled by the rigors of Oakmont Country Club by the end of the US Open on Sunday, June 15. Advertisement Scheffler, a three-time major champion who captured the PGA Championship earlier this year, finished the tournament at +4 and tied for seventh-place, five shots behind winner J.J. Spaun (-1) of the United States. Spaun was the only player to defeat the course over 72 holes, as runner-up Robert McIntyre of Scotland posted a +1 score for the event. Scheffler spoke following his final round and assigned blame for his difficulties at what is likely to prove the toughest venue of the 2025 PGA Tour season once the year concludes. Scottie Scheffler watches a shot during the second round of the US LeClaire-Imagn Images "I felt like I did some good things out there. A few more putts drop today, I think it's a little different story," Scheffler said, per the New York Post. "My first three days, I felt like I was battling the whole time. Today, I hit some shots. I hit some putts that I really thought were going in, hit some lips. It was just challenging. I was just right on the edge today. I battled as hard as I did this week." Advertisement Scheffler has three wins this year, including the PGA Championship. There is one major remaining on the 2025 schedule -- The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, which will be held between July 17-20. The Open remains one of two major championships, along with the US Open, that Scheffler has yet to win before completing the sport's career Grand Slam. Related: Scottie Scheffler Breaks Silence After Bad Day at the US Open 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler Breaks Silence After Bad Day at the US Open 2025
Scottie Scheffler Breaks Silence After Bad Day at the US Open 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Scottie Scheffler failed to work his magic during the first round of the U.S. Open. He managed three birdies on the toughest course but bogeyed too many times to end up with a score of 3-over par after 18. Advertisement Scheffler was visibly disappointed with his performance, which even involved him slamming his club on the ground after a shot at the 14th hole. He believes that Oakmont is a place where having tons of strategy doesn't work. One just has to be in the present and keep hitting those shots. "It's one of those places. There's not a ton of strategy, I would say," Scheffler told reporters on Thursday. "It's just you step up there on a tee box and (are) like what club can I get into this fairway and then you try and hit that club in the fairway and if you don't, it's like all right how am I gonna get out of this rough and get the ball back into the fairway so I can have a shot at the green." Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the tenth tee during the first round.© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images "It's not like an overly strategic golf course where you know there's a lot of club options off the tee and stuff like that," Scheffer added. "It's just the golf course where you step on the tee box, you look at that fairway and you're like, all right, keep balling that thing." Advertisement The World No. 1 was not alone in having such a bad start. Even Bryson DeChambeau, the defending US Open champion, along with Rory McIlroy, had a disappointing start to the major. DeChambeau birdied two holes but bogeyed five, taking his score to 3-over par just like Scheffler after round one. The LIV Golf star also finished T49 after the first round. McIlroy started strong with two birdies on the back nine but bogeyed the fourth hole and double bogeyed one to finish with a score of 4-over par at T62. Related: Jordan Spieth Honest Admission After Mediocre Round at US Open This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jordan Spieth Makes Honest Admission on US Open
Jordan Spieth Makes Honest Admission on US Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Jordan Spieth's performance during the first round of the U.S. Open was quite rocky. He finished with even par after 18 holes but recorded four birdies and four bogeys. He holds the T11 spot heading into Friday. Advertisement After a shaky start, Spieth shared his thoughts on Oakmont. He said that on this course, if someone offered him an even‑par round, he would gladly accept it rather than try to shoot under par. Missing the fairway is akin to incurring a stroke penalty on most holes. "If you miss the fairway. It's essentially a stroke penalty." Spieth said. "There's a few places where it's not the case, but on almost every hole it's a stroke penalty. I was close to shooting three under and finished at even. I think I would have signed for it. I would have signed for it three more times to put me in a good spot." Jordan Spieth walks from the first tee during a practice round.© Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Spieth feels that many of the fairways at the course are very tough to hit and rain before the weekend might change things up. Advertisement "We'll see how the course changes. A couple of fairways became almost impossible to hit today, and that won't change tomorrow. And then if we get a little rain, maybe we'll get a chance to score a little, but we'll see." He added. As things stand, J.J. Spaun holds the solo lead with a score of 4-under par. Thriston Lawrence holds the second with a 3-under par. Brooks Koepka, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im are tied in third. Related: Scottie Scheffler Breaks Silence After Bad Day at the US Open 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
