OAKMONT, Pa. – Sam Burns and Adam Scott shared a tee time Sunday at the 125th U.S. Open, along with separate visions for major glory. In the end, both of their aspirations were derailed by the difficulty of Oakmont Country Club – and the wet conditions that befell the course for the closing stretch.

Burns took a one-shot lead into the final round in the Pittsburgh suburbs, having also led through 36 holes, while Scott was one shot back. Burns got off to a steadier start, leading by two shots for parts of the front nine, while Scott sputtered with bogeys on three of his first six holes. They were on the tee of the par-3 eighth hole when heavy rains reached Oakmont, halting play for more than 90 minutes.

They returned to a waterlogged course that was at its brink, and every wayward shot was punished. While eventual winner J.J. Spaun holed a series of critical putts to grab the trophy, Burns and Scott couldn’t create similar momentum. Ultimately, Burns shot an 8-over 78 to tie for seventh at 4 over, five shots behind Spaun. He played the 11 holes after the delay in 6 over.

“The conditions were extremely difficult,” Burns said. “I didn’t have my best stuff today.”

A runner-up last week at the RBC Canadian Open, Burns was in search of his first major title. Despite his mid-round struggles, he was still 1 over and tied for the lead as he stood on the edge of the 15th fairway.

His tee shot came to rest in a soggy low part of the course, and Burns asked for a ruling to receive free relief from casual water – along with a second opinion when that initial request was denied. His appeal was also overturned, leading to Burns hitting a 5-iron from 205 yards that sprayed a cloud of water upon impact as the ball flared left. It led to a double bogey that inflicted a mortal wound on his title hopes, and bogeys on two of his final three holes followed as he pressed to catch up to Spaun and the clubhouse leader, Robert MacIntyre.

“When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up. Took practice swings, and it’s just water splashing every single time,” Burns said. “At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. It’s up to the rules official. That’s kind of that.”

One month shy of his 45th birthday, Scott was looking to become the second-oldest champion in U.S. Open history and add a second major title to his decorated resume. But a scrambling bogey on the opening hole set the tone, as his birdie on the par-5 fourth proved to be his only one of the day. Scott was 7 over across the 11 holes that followed the weather delay, signing for a 9-over 79 that beat only one person in the final round and dropped him to a tie for 12th at 6 over.

“It was just so sloppy the rest of the way. We must have looked horrible, both of us playing like that,” Scott said. “But that’s what can happen in these things. If you get a little off, you’re just severely punished.”

Scott was candid with his comments on the post-delay conditions, adding that “the course just couldn’t take much more wate,r” but ultimately placing the onus on himself for not properly adapting to the changes. He sympathized with Burns’ inability to get relief on No. 15, adding that he contemplated asking for a similar ruling en route to making a bogey of his own amid a stretch of 5 over across the final five holes.

“It was borderline unplayable. The water was, like, so close to the surface,” Scott said. “Like the shot I hit on (No.) 11, it’s bizarre. I just don’t know. It was like an aquaplane on the ground. … It’s a tough call, but we played. Everyone had to deal with it.”

While Burns fell short of the breakthrough major victory that Spaun was able to secure, he has now cracked the top 10 in the U.S. Open each of the last two years for his two best finishes in 21 career starts in majors.

“Look, I went out there and gave it the best I had,” Burns said. “Golf’s a hard game, especially on this golf course. At the end of the day, I can hold my head high.”