Sam Burns’ rally comes up short at Shinnecock Hills

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Sam Burns stood on the driving range at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and could only watch as his chances to win the U.S. Open slipped away.

On a day when overnight leader Wyndham Clark finally seemed mortal, bleeding away a six-shot advantage, Burns emerged as the prime contender to take the trophy.

Starting the day seven shots back, he birdied four of his first eight holes to briefly tie Clark at 4-under. It was a stunning turnaround in a short amount of time, briefly turning the historic venue on its head after Burns rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 8.

While other contenders lingered in red figures, the title eventually came down to Burns and Clark. Trailing by a shot on the 72nd hole, his 17-foot birdie putt that would have tied Clark came achingly close before lipping out. Burns tapped in for par, closing out a 3-under 67, and headed to the range to prepare for a potential playoff as Clark faced Shinnecock’s closing stretch.

It was there, after tossing a souvenir ball with his 2-year-old son, Bear, and hitting a handful of wedge shots, that Burns turned his attention to the large Jumbotron next to the practice facility. He watched Wyndham Clark find the green with his final approach, then took his glove off and began to pack up his bag after Clark cozied his lengthy birdie putt to within a foot.

The runner-up is Burns’ best result in a major, his third straight top-10 finish in this event, but that was of little consolation in the immediate wake of an unexpected chance to win that ultimately fell one shot short.

“I think to start the day seven shots back, I knew it was going to take something really special,” Burns said. “To have a chance on 18, I really thought I made that putt. I hit it exactly how I wanted, with the speed I wanted, and it just didn’t go in. But really proud of the way we played today.”

It’s the second straight year that Burns has been in the mix down the stretch in the U.S. Open, albeit in far different conditions. Last year at Oakmont he took a one-shot lead into Sunday but played much of his final round on a waterlogged course following a lengthy rain delay. He played his final 11 holes after the delay in 6 over, tumbling down the leaderboard and finishing in a tie for seventh.

This time around he was part of the chase pack, and conditions at Shinnecock Hills couldn’t have been more different than Oakmont – dry and breezy, with the course crisping up over the closing stretch. While the result was similar, the emotions he felt were not.

“I would say last year at Oakmont I felt more like I lost the golf tournament,” Burns said. “I certainly don’t feel that way today. I think I did my best, and I did everything I could to have a chance to win today.”

Burns has won five times on the PGA TOUR, but none since March 2023 despite piling up a bevy of top-10 finishes and multiple appearances in international team events. With a chance to break that victory drought and secure his first major on Father’s Day with his father, Todd, in attendance, Burns was brought to tears while contemplating the gravity of a result that didn’t go his way despite an admirable comeback.

“I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father’s Day, but I know he’s proud,” Burns said. “It’s just not very often we have a chance to win a major on Father’s Day. I think just the weight of that, and knowing what that memory could have been like, it would have been really special.”