OAKMONT, Pa. – The biggest fist pump of the 125th U.S. Open may have come on the ninth green early Saturday morning.

The story of Philip Barbaree Jr. is the type that this championship has a tendency to produce. A relative unknown to most fans, 10 years removed from a U.S. Junior Amateur victory, Barbaree has struggled to break through on the professional ranks and this year is playing on PGA TOUR Americas.

But after advancing through qualifying, he earned a tee time at Oakmont Country Club – in fact, the last on the tee sheet for Round 2. The late start meant that he was one of 13 players still stranded on the course when heavy rains deluged the property late Friday night, meaning he had to return for a 7:30 a.m. ET restart with his tournament hanging in the balance.

Barbaree was 5 over when play was halted, but he was in the midst of making a double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole. Knowing that the cut line would be 7 over, it meant that he needed to make a par on No. 9 to advance to see the weekend. It was a particularly meaningful goal for Barbaree, 26, who had never made the cut in seven prior starts on the Korn Ferry Tour or PGA TOUR, including a missed cut at the 2018 U.S. Open.

He managed a two-putt from the front of the green, letting out a fist pump when the par putt dropped and giving a hug to his wife, Chloe, who is caddying for him this week at Oakmont.

“Probably a lot of pent-up emotion and stress from sleeping last night, or not sleeping last night,” Barbaree said. “Just knowing that I pretty much had to come out and make par on one of the hardest holes on the course, and then to actually do it, that’s what you practice for. That’s what you care about.

“To be able to pull off a shot like that when it matters, and then with her on the bag, it’s special.”

Barbaree had to make a quick turnaround, playing in the first group of Round 3 alongside a marker, Oakmont pro Devin Gee. He shot a 5-over 75 in the third round to finish the day at 12 over, moving up slightly on the leaderboard on a still-demanding layout. With 66 pros and one amateur making the cut, he’s assured of earning at least $41,254 – which will be the biggest payday of his career.

Barbaree has made six starts this year on PGA TOUR Americas, including one top-10 finish, and sits 26th in the Fortinet Cup points race as he looks to secure Korn Ferry Tour status for 2026. Making the weekend is also an important step toward 2026 status, as a made cut at the U.S. Open will exempt him from the first stage of PGA TOUR Q-School this fall.

“Oakmont is hard, but Q-School as a whole might be harder,” Barbaree said. “Just to be able to skip a stage, it’s huge. Playing in PGA TOUR Americas, I’m in a decent position, so to know I have that in my back pocket, I feel like that could bring me up a little bit more for the Canadian swing.”

Barbaree grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, playing golf with overnight leader Sam Burns, and the two went on to be teammates at LSU. With Barbaree first on the Round 3 tee sheet and Burns playing in the day’s final group, Burns and his wife and son, Bear, greeted the Barbarees near the Oakmont clubhouse before he began preparation for his round.

“He’s played great, and I’ve played great so far,” Barbaree said. “It does feel like a Shreveport reunion, I guess.”