Sam Burns maintains lead after US Open third round
Sam Burns maintains lead after US Open third round
Sam Burns reacts after putting on the 18th green during the third round of the US Open golf tournament. Photo: Reuters/Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sam Burns fired a one-under-par 69 to seize a one-stroke lead over fellow American J.J. Spaun and Australian Adam Scott after Saturday's third round of the US Open.
Burns, whose most recent win came at the 2023 WGC Match Play, stood on four-under 206 after 54 holes while Spaun, whose only PGA Tour win came at the 2022 Texas Open, shot 69 with a bogey at 18 to share second on 207.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, birdied three of the last six holes to fire a 67 and reach 207, two strokes ahead of Norway's Viktor Hovland in fourth.
The four will play in the last two pairings once again on Sunday in a tension-packed final round for the US$4.3 million top prize.
Last-group playing partners Burns and Spaun traded the lead all day, a wild early exchange ending when Burns made a tap-in birdie at the fifth to match Spaun at three-under.
Burns sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-three 13th to seize the solo lead at four-under but fell back with a bogey at 16.
Both birdied the 17th, Burns landing his approach inches from the hole and Spaun sinking a putt from just inside 14 feet.
At 18, both went into the right rough but Burns reached the green while Spaun found a bunker. Spaun blasted out and two-putted for bogey while Burns sank a four-foot par putt to grab the solo lead.
Scott, 44, can be the second-oldest US Open winner after American Hale Irwin, who was 45 when he won in 1990.
Scott landed his tee shot inside five feet at the par-three 13th and dropped his approach inches from the hole at 14 to set up birdies, then escaped a bunker at 17 and sank a 14-foot birdie putt.
Hovland blasted out of a bunker to set up a tap-in bogey at 17, but made bogey from a bunker at 18.
Mexico's Carlos Ortiz fired a 67 to stand fifth on level par 210, a stumble at the last hole dooming a bogey-free bid.
Ortiz, a LIV Golf player who won an Asian Tour event in Macau in March, made the cut for only the third time in 10 major starts and has never finished a major in the top 50.
"It would be great. Winning any kind of tournament is awesome," Ortiz said of capturing the title. "I'm just going to do my best and hopefully that's enough. If not, that's all I had."
England's Tyrrell Hatton, another LIV player, birdied three of the first four holes on the back nine and shot 68 to stand on 211, sharing sixth with South African Thriston Lawrence.
Big names struggled with world number two Rory McIlroy making bogeys on three of his last five holes to fire a 74 and stand on 220.
"I was hoping to play better, but I didn't," McIlroy said, calling his tournament "pretty average" so far.
"The name of the game this week is staying patient," McIlroy said. "But it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly."
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters for his fifth major title, had bogeys on the third and ninth holes, followed a birdie at 10 with bogeys at 11, 14 and 16 and closed birdie-bogey.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, seeking back-to-back major titles after taking last month's PGA Championship, fired a 70 with four birdies and four bogeys, sinking a five-foot birdie putt at 17 to stand on 214 after 54 holes.
"I had a hard time getting momentum," Scheffler said. "I made a few silly mistakes, a couple three-putts, which is just a killer."
Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain made a double bogey at 15 and found a bunker on his way to a bogey at 18 to fire a 73 and stand on 217.
Third-ranked American Xander Schauffele, the reigning British Open champion, shot 71 to stand on 217. (AFP)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Alcaraz crowned king of Queen's for second time
Alcaraz crowned king of Queen's for second time Alcaraz earns his fifth trophy of the year ahead of his Wimbledon title defence. Photo: Reuters Carlos Alcaraz clinched his second Queen's Club title as the world number two warmed up for Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 win against Jiri Lehecka in the final. Alcaraz blasted 33 winners and 18 aces to subdue the gritty Czech world number 30 in two hours and 10 minutes in west London. The Spaniard has now won five trophies this year, adding to his titles on clay at the French Open, Rome and Monte Carlo, as well as the hard courts of Rotterdam. "I'm happy to lift this trophy once again. It's a nightmare to play against Jiri, but it's been an incredible week," Alcaraz said. "I came without expectations. I just wanted to play good tennis and get used to the grass, " he added. "It's really special playing here every year. I can't wait to come back next year." For a player raised on the clay courts of Spain, Alcaraz has developed into a formidable force on grass as he starts his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title on June 30. In contrast, Lehecka was playing in his first grass-court final after a shock win against British star Jack Draper in the last four. The 23-year-old was the first Czech in the Queen's final since Ivan Lendl in 1990. (AFP)
RTHK
3 days ago
- RTHK
More Messi magic as Inter Miami beat Porto at Club WC
More Messi magic as Inter Miami beat Porto at Club WC Lionel Messi was the hero as Inter Miami look set to advance to the knockout stage. Photo: Reuters A Lionel Messi trademark free-kick earned Inter Miami a shock 2-1 comeback win against Porto in the Club World Cup. The Argentine superstar found the top corner with a second half set-piece to clinch a surprise victory for the MLS side and give them a strong chance of progressing from Group A. Inter Miami and Palmeiras have four points each, after the Brazilian side beat Al Ahly 2-0 earlier on – the Egyptians, like Porto, have one point. Samu Aghehowa's early penalty gave the Portuguese side the lead as they had the better of the first half and could have scored more. However Telasco Segovia blasted Miami level and then Messi's free-kick helped them claim a noteworthy scalp, in a match many thought would be straightforward for Porto. "It's a huge joy, the whole team made a big effort, we worked really well," Messi told DAZN. "It's a really important win for us and we have to enjoy it." Even with Messi, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was under half-full at kick-off, hamstrung by another 3:00pm kick-off on a working day as it was for Chelsea's opener against Los Angeles FC at the same venue. More fans entered throughout the game, with nearly 32,000 present in the end. (AFP)
HKFP
4 days ago
- HKFP
‘Moving Great Wall': China's towering teen basketball star set to play at Women's Asia Cup
China look set to unleash their 2.26m (7ft 5in) 'moving Great Wall' at the Women's Asia Cup after teenager Zhang Ziyu put in another towering display days after her debut. The 18-year-old centre scored 18 points as China beat great rivals Japan 101-92 on Wednesday in Xi'an in a warm-up for the regional tournament next month on home soil. It was her third appearance for the senior Chinese squad, having helped them to blowout victories over Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend. Chinese state media dubbed her and gangly centre Han Xu the 'Twin Towers'. Zhang's looming presence on court — footage showed her barely needing to jump to make a basket — seemed to stump Japan head coach Corey Gaines. Asked if he had figured out a way 'to deal' with the teenager, the American ex-NBA guard told reporters: 'We'll just say: Interesting. Very interesting.' Zhang hails from northern China's Shandong province and had reached 2.10m by the end of primary school. She has been likened by Chinese fans to Houston Rockets great Yao Ming. Yao, who at 2.29m was one of the tallest NBA players in history, was known as the 'moving Great Wall' before retiring from basketball in 2011 and Zhang has now taken on the nickname. Both of Zhang's parents played professional basketball. Her father, Zhang Lei, turned out for the Chinese Basketball Association's Jinan Military Region while her mother Yu Ying played as a centre for Shandong, according to local media. The teenager may have a distinct height advantage but she has been told she needs to sharpen up. Experienced centre Yang Liwei said after Wednesday's win that Zhang 'could have been tougher on some shots'. 'I think she played at her normal level,' added Yang, who helped China win the Asian title in 2023. China meet Japan again on Friday at home for another warm-up. Both will play at the Women's Asia Cup in Shenzhen from July 13.
