The Oakmont Country Club, home to struggle and victory, added another remarkable chapter on the 2nd round of the US Open. On a course that has created and destroyed legends, there were dazzling performances and shocking upsets as the field was winnowed down.
The blog takes you through the highs and lows of the day, the big winners and losers, and the historical leanings from the perspective of Oakmont that should interest golf fans everywhere.
Day Two Highlights
Sam Burns Seizes Control With a Spectacular 65
Sam Burns seized the spotlight with a sparkling 65 to find himself three-under par. This was the third-lowest round in U.S. Open history at Oakmont. Burns’s gripping play featured six birdies, only a single bogey, and a showcase of precision golf, enough to leave the hen-watching gallery purring.
“It felt like I played well,” Burns said. “There is a lot of golf to play on a difficult track.
Leading the Pack
One stroke back of Burns, J.J. Spaun slipped through a roller-coaster round that included bogeys on three of the final four holes for a 72. Viktor Hovland of Norway, third, remained only two shots behind the lead. The pair of challengers lauded Oakmont’s difficulty, admitting it had an uncanny ability to challenge a player’s mind.
“It was a grind, a grind of a day,” Spaun said. “But I’m still right there.”
Weather-Related Drama
Heavy rains filled the course, stopping play and stranding 13 players with incomplete second rounds. The suspension only just raised the level of uncertainty surrounding a remarkably scrappy tournament.
Key Players’ Mixed Fortunes
McIlroy’s Fight and DeChambeau’s Exit
World number two Rory McIlroy managed to squeeze into the weekend’s action after a difficult day featuring double bogeys on one and three. To reach the weekend, he had to make a clutch birdie on the 18th hole. The defending champion, Bryson DeChambeau, surprised the gallery that had gathered to watch a 77 from him that sent him packing and became the first defending champion to miss the cut since 2020.
Phil Mickelson, another marquee name, also missed the cut, ending his bid for the career Grand Slam.
Also Read: U.S. Open Golf 2024 leaderboard Results and Rank A New Look at Pinehurst Battle
Scheffler and Rahm’s Struggles
Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm each had a big hill to climb after the round, a seven-shot deficit to Burns. Rahm, clearly dejected, explained his day, saying, “I’m too mad right now to think about any perspective.
Scheffler, though, saw a silver lining in his one-over 71, saying, “It could have been worse.”
A Course Steeped in History
Oakmont’s ruthless test is part of its attraction. A place that has been the setting for some of the most memorable rounds in US Open history again proved to be a nemesis and a theater. And with Johnny Miller’s historic final-round 63 in 1973 and Loren Roberts’s 64 in 1994 serving as the standard bearers for brilliance – and now Burns – the South African has carved his spot among the greatest rounds in the history of Oakmont.
Comparison of Oakmont Low Rounds
|
Year |
Player |
Score |
Context |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1973 |
Johnny Miller |
63 |
Final round brilliance |
|
1994 |
Loren Roberts |
64 |
Third round excellence |
|
2025 |
Sam Burns |
65 |
Round two domination |
Burns’s accomplishment reminds me why Oakmont remains one of the game’s truest tests.
What’s Ahead
The US Open story is incomplete, with two rounds to play. The rain delays will scramble pairings and test people’s patience. Players will encounter a more demanding course as pin placements get less forgiving.
There should be intense competition at the top of the leaderboard, with Burns trying to stay on course and players like Spaun and Hovland trying to catch him. For Scheffler, Rahm, and other star chasers, a low third-round score is critical to keep them in contention.
Keeping an Eye on the Action
Oakmont’s second round reminded us why this championship is about as much about resiliency as skill. And for fans, it sets up an electric gray weekend that could end up redefining careers or simply adding painful chapters to this storied old course’s legacy.
Anything in the next chapter? And will Burns take a big win that has long escaped him? Can anyone run him down as he appears poised for greatness?
Follow the journey of the best players in the world as they go for the US Open trophy on the toughest golf course.