Here’s how Sam Burns dealt with a major disaster in the championship round of the U.S. Open on Sunday. The golfer, who had entered the day with a lead, found himself denied water relief on the 15th hole, ultimately impacting his performance throughout the round. Burns’ judgment was called into question by two USGA rules officials on appeal. He searched for relief, arguing that there were spray puddles on the course.
On the 15th hole of that play, Burns’ tee shot splashed down onto the right side of Oakmont’s meandering fairway. The ball eventually came to rest against a drain culvert in the bottom of the fairway. There, it absorbed even more water from the torrential downpour that fell earlier that same afternoon. Upon review of his falsehood, Burns determined that he was deserving of relief for the circumstances.
The golfer swung twice and easily described the experience saying, “Took practice swings, and it’s just water flying up every single time. Though he was outwardly adamant and reasonable in his argument for relief, both rules officials ultimately ruled against his appeal. At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. The rules official is the ultimate authority. He said this with an obvious willingness to accept their decision.
The challenge of the incident on the 15th hole was not the only mental hurdle for Burns to overcome during his final round. The veteran, a nine-time major champion, shot 8-over 78, six shots higher than his opening round of 72. His struggles were evident as he faced two double bogeys—one coming on hole 11 when his tee shot initially landed in the fairway but rolled into a divot in longer grass. It’s true that these setbacks had a major deleterious effect on his eventual score.
Burns came in as the only leader on the day. He stood on hole 15’s tee pad only one stroke away from keeping things that way. The wheels came off in tougher playing conditions, and a round of 75 sealed his fate as he tied for seventh at four over par. Even under the hot sun on a difficult day, his spirit was unbroken and his demeanor positive in the face of anger.
“I’m not ashamed of what I did.” Look, I went out there and gave it the best I had,” Burns said after finishing his round. His resilience is a testament to his unbreakable will. It shows what winning means to him, as he pursues his first professional golf victory.
Burns’ experience at Oakmont is a reminder of the very capricious nature of golf, especially when played in challenging weather extremes. He remains the most dangerous man at success on golf’s big stages. This year’s batch perfectly captures the struggles that players face both on and off the course.
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