Heavy rain halts play at US Open with overnight leader Sam Burns still ahead

Independent

7 hours ago

The final round of the US Open at Oakmont was suspended after torrential rain left parts of the course flooded.
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.
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.
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.
'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.