Burns, statistically the world's best putter, hooped a clutch par save to shoot 65 Friday at Oakmont and enter this U.S. Open weekend at 3 under.

Sam Burns has taken the second-round lead at the U.S. Open and several big names in the field have missed the cut as Oakmont Country Club continues to pack a punch.

OAKMONT, Pa. — Sam Burns is a birdie machine at Oakmont, a label not many expected at this U.S. Open. By avoiding another sloppy finish, Burns posted a 5-under 65 on Friday and set the target for the late starters — and let Scottie Scheffler know the mountain he faced.

Through 36 holes at the U.S. Open, Sam Burns already has made 11 birdies, matching the number winner Dustin Johnson made for the entire 2016 Open.

It just showed a clever bit of awareness and foresight. In the heat of the pressure and the pouring rain, Burns stopped himself from making a potentially very costly error. It was a small moment, but the kind of decision that wins U.S. Opens.

Sam Burns capped his second-round, 5-under 65 with a 22-foot par save on his final hole. Burns ran into trouble off the tee at the par-4 ninth, his 18th, and took a penalty-stroke drop into the fairway.

By Frank Pingue OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -Overnight U.S. Open leader Sam Burns, seeking the biggest win of his career, got his final round underway on Sunday at partly cloudy Oakmont Country Club with a one-shot lead over Australian Adam Scott and J.

Sam Burns has a lot riding on his final round at Oakmont. A first major victory, for starters, but also a first victory of any kind since the final iteration of the WGC-Dell Match Play back in 2023. He doesn’t need any more pressure but allow us to add just a tiny bit more.