At the U.S. Open, an unheralded leaderboard means Sunday could be bumpy
OAKMONT, Pa. – The 125th U.S. Open has thrown everything at the best golfers in the world: rain and heat, smothering rough and slick greens, implausible lies and impossible choices. The tournament torment has been merciless, but Sunday, a bunch of unlikely contenders will report to Oakmont Country Club for afternoon tee times and try to fight back.
This is supposed to be the most difficult test in golf, and there’s certainly no study guide for the final round. The tournament of attrition is not for the weak-minded or the intemperate, and those who have made it this far will need to find a new gear to reach the 72nd hole Sunday.
J.J. Spaun thinks he understands this now. The 34-year-old has all of one PGA Tour win on his résumé and has never finished higher than 23rd at a major. He held the 54-hole lead at the Players Championship in March, only to lose to Rory McIlroy in a playoff. But Spaun thinks he learned something there.
“I used to be kind of scared to want the ball,” he said, “or I guess you could say (scared to) have the lead or be the one that everyone is chasing. I always was comfortable kind of being a chaser than the one being chased.”
After shooting a 69 in Saturday’s third round, Spaun remains near the top of the U.S. Open leader board. He’s at 3 under par, trailing only fellow American Sam Burns but miles ahead of some of golf’s biggest names. McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau – you name them, this bruising course has pounded them.
This year’s U.S. Open champion very well might be someone who has never had to navigate the nerves and pressure of a Sunday at a major, casting renewed drama and intrigue on a tournament that has chewed up and spit out so many great champions over the past three days.
“Everyone out here has got their journey,” said Adam Scott, the 44-year-old Australian who will start the final round tied with Spaun, one shot off the lead. “Putting ourselves in these positions doesn’t just happen by fluke. It’s not easy to do it.”
How will they respond? Burns – Scheffler’s good friend and housemate this week – has played exquisitely, holding the lead after 36 holes and again after 54. The 28-year-old turned in a 69 on Saturday and holds a razor-thin lead. Playing alongside Spaun, the pair put on a clinic of patience, discipline and counterpunching. Burns has won five times on tour, but has just one top-10 finish at a major – he tied for ninth at last year’s U.S. Open.
“As a kid growing up, you dream about winning major championships, and that’s why we practice so hard and work so hard,” he said. “All these guys in this field I think would agree that to have the opportunity to win a major is special. I’m definitely really excited for tomorrow.”
Burns has been especially impressive on the greens. Through 54 holes, he has hit 36 greens in regulation and leads the field in strokes gained approach. He is averaging 1.66 putts per hole, also tops in the tournament.
“This golf course is difficult,” he said. “It takes a lot of patience.”
The most senior of the top contenders is Scott – remember him? – who has played as steady as anyone. But this is territory he hasn’t explored in years. He posted a 67 to match the day’s low round and will play alongside Burns in the final pairing Sunday.
“I really haven’t been in this kind of position for five or six years – or feeling like I’m that player,” Scott said. “But that’s what I’m always working towards. It’s not that easy to figure it all out.”
Scott memorably won the 2013 Masters, but hasn’t cracked the top 10 of a U.S. Open since 2019. He has played in 48 majors since capturing the green jacket and turned in zero wins.
“If I were to come away with it (Sunday), it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career,” he said.
Rainy conditions softened the course Saturday and led to better scores in the third round – 12 golfers shot under par. But for much of the round, as he has all week, Spaun looked as comfortable as anyone, even amid some early drizzle. He strung together 12 straight pars at one point and made three timely birdies to keep pace with Burns – until he turned in a bogey on No. 18.
He has played effortlessly for three days on a course that has befuddled and outwitted so many others. Doing it on a Sunday will be a new challenge.
“Sometimes not having expectations is the best thing,” he said earlier in the week, “so I’ll take it.”
They will all be trying to fend off others within striking distance – including Viktor Hovland, whose third-round 70 left him in fourth place at 1 under; and Carlos Ortiz, whose 67 put him at even par and in fifth.
“I’m well aware that I’ve got a chance tomorrow,” Hovland said, “and if I shoot a low round of golf tomorrow, then anything can happen. But there’s a lot of good players around me.”
They should take some relief from the mix of untested names near the top of the leader board. Beyond Scott, there’s not another major champion in the top 10. And no one in the top 20 has hoisted the U.S. Open championship trophy.
The game’s giants failed to mount a charge Saturday. Rahm put up a 73, leaving him at 7 over and tied for 35th. Brooks Koepka also posted a 73, leaving him at 5 over and nine shots off the lead in a tie for 21st. McIlroy is still searching for the magic he seemingly left at Augusta. His 74 on Saturday bumped him to 10 over. Asked what he’s hoping for Sunday, he said, “Hopefully, a round in under 4½ hours and get out of here.”
Scheffler is the wild card. He has not had his best stuff at Oakmont, mentally or physically. But if the leaders falter, the three-time major champion is the most capable of pouncing.
Saturday’s 70 was his best round at Oakmont this week, leaving him at 4 over and in a tie for 11th. Scheffler will enter the final round eight shots behind the leader, but as he noted, “Around this place, I mean, anything can happen.”
“I’ve had three days where I haven’t really had my swing, and I’ve been battling out there and still have a chance, albeit an outside chance,” he said, “but still a chance.”