Nearly one year ago, Sam Burns appeared to be on his way to his first major championship.
Burns held the lead at Oakmont for much of the tournament, but a rainy final round got to him, and J.J. Spaun rallied in the tough weather to win his first major. But for Burns, it was a tough Sunday, as he also faced rules controversy on the way.
While the U.S. Open did suspend play due to rain, some players got the short end of the stick, and Burns got a particularly unlucky break when his ball was resting in standing water in the fairway and he was forced to hit it where it lied.
While any major collapse would be hard to get over, it felt this one would be the toughest near-miss of Burns’s career.
But when I caught up with him at the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Burns said he's over it.
“I wish it would have gone a different way,” Burns said. “But I’ve gotten closure on that.”
Burns will look to attack this year’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock with the same intensity he showed at the 2025 U.S. Open and earlier this month at the Masters.
To hear more from Burns about his golf routines and how he looks back at the 2025 U.S. Open, tune into the latest interview from the Dan Evans Show. And catch up on past episodes at our home on SI Golf.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sam Burns Is Ready for Redemption at This Year’s U.S. Open.
