Golf: Sam Burns Takes US Open Lead with Impressive 65 as Big Names Struggle
Sam Burns delivered a stunning performance at the 2025 US Open, shooting a five-under par 65 at Oakmont to seize a one-stroke lead after the second round. This remarkable round ties for the third-best ever recorded at this challenging course, renowned for its punishing layout.
The 28-year-old American showcased his skill with six birdies and only one bogey, finishing the first 36 holes at three-under 137. “It felt like I played really well. Today was really nice,” Burns said after his round. “There’s obviously a lot of golf left on a very tough course.”
Burns’s 65 is only surpassed at Oakmont by Johnny Miller’s final-round 63 in 1973 and Loren Roberts’s 64 in 1994.
In contrast, several big-name competitors struggled. J.J. Spaun, who shot a 72, fell to second place at 138 after bogeying three of the last four holes. “It was more of a true US Open round—lots of back and forth, a lot of grinding,” Spaun noted. Norway’s Viktor Hovland sits in third with a score of 139 after carding a 68.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy faced a tough day, recording double bogeys at the first and third holes. However, he managed to secure his place for the weekend with a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th, finishing at 146. “A smile, and a birdie, on the difficult par-4 15th gets me back inside the current cut line,” he said.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, however, had a rough outing, shooting a 77 and missing the cut, marking the first time a defending champion has missed the cut since Gary Woodland in 2020. Six-time US Open runner-up Phil Mickelson also failed to advance, needing a victory to complete his career Grand Slam.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Spain’s Jon Rahm both struggled as well, finishing at 144. Scheffler managed a 71 while Rahm shot a frustrating 75. “I’m too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective,” Rahm expressed.
Burns’s performance was highlighted by a series of impressive putts, including a 21-foot birdie at the 11th and a tap-in birdie at the par-five fourth. “It’s really difficult,” Burns acknowledged. “Sometimes the best thing is just to take your medicine.”
With the tournament only halfway through, Burns, who previously shared ninth at last year’s US Open, looks poised to challenge for his first major title. Australian Adam Scott and American Ben Griffin are tied for fourth at 140, while France’s Victor Perez made headlines by acing the par-three sixth hole, marking the 54th hole-in-one in US Open history.
