OAKMONT, Pa. — Of the five men at or below par following the third round of the 2025 U.S. Open, only one has won a major championship.
That’s more U.S. Open appearances than J.J. Spaun, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland and Carlos Ortiz combined.
This is the first time Spaun has made the weekend at a U.S. Open, let alone a potential final pairing.
At this golf course, and with this U.S. Open setup, players are constantly moving up and down the leaderboard.
Also, go back to ever-aggravated Hatton’s hilarious comments at last year’s U.S. Open.
OAKMONT, PA. Following the third round of the 2025 U.S. Open, five men were at or below par. S. Only one has taken home a major title in the Open.
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, would be the second-oldest U.S. S. open champion.
The leader, Sam Burns, a five-time PGA Tour winner with one career major top-10 finish, Viktor Hovland, who has three prior top-five major finishes but no wins, and J. J. . The only other U that Spaun missed the cut. S. . open appearance; and Carlos Ortiz, who hasn’t participated in a major in two years and hasn’t been selected in one of the four finals.
Therefore, it’s likely that Oakmont will crown a major champion for the first time on Sunday night. To earn a late tee time on Sunday, these golfers battled through slick conditions on Saturday afternoon and did their best to tame this beast of a course.
Our purpose is to discuss who will and won’t win.
Which golfer do you think will win the most?
Scott Adam. In terms of major championship experience, the 44-year-old simply outnumbers the other players on the leaderboard. Although age is just a number, in this game, the more years you have, the more chances you have to learn and discover what suits you best when it comes time to make shots.
In addition to being a Masters champion, Scott has 20 major top-10 finishes in his career, is making his 96th consecutive major start, and is playing in his 24th U.S. A. Unlocked. It’s more U. S. . public appearances compared to J. J. . Together, Spaun, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, and Carlos Ortiz. Scott is the only player with scores of 70-70-67 at Oakmont this week who hasn’t shot above average. Scott gives himself an opportunity even when he stands out. He got up and down six times on Saturday, including from the three greenside bunkers he discovered, as he scrambled like a crazy man. He referred to it on Friday as “old-man par golf,” and that approach could win it at a course where birdies are scarce and par feels like a mercy. — Herzig Gabby.
Viktor Hovland. Hovland has an additional piece of equipment that I trust more than the others when he has it. Does he play it frequently enough? Definitely not! However, this week, his irons are in perfect form, and all of a sudden, the golfer who is most known for his short game bugaboo is in the top five, largely due to his amazing saves around the green. Give that man to me.
Adam Scott may be the best golfer of all time. He may not have a single round over par on the world’s most difficult course. Yes, he is my second choice, but there is too much proof that Scott finds it difficult to close on the biggest stages. We witnessed it just a year ago at the Scottish Open, even though the biggest losses occurred ten or more years ago.
But when Hovland is in it? He used a Sunday 61 to steal the 2023 BMW from Scottie Scheffler. After a week, he went all out to win the Tour Championship. In addition to winning the Memorial that year, he might have been the best player at the most recent Ryder Cup. He took Valspar when he didn’t think he could, even this spring when his swing was still a complete mess.
In addition, seven out of the nine Oakmont major champions were first-time winners. I’ll declare Hovland the winner. — Miller Brody.
Who among the top five golfers won’t win?
With just one PGA Tour victory under his belt, it will be difficult to trust the 34-year-old after seeing Spaun’s collapse during the Players Championship playoff on Monday morning.
Spaun’s play this week has been nothing short of spectacular — an opening-round 66 was simply not supposed to happen on this test, and he backed it up with a 72 and a 69. The moment was too big for him back then, so is he ready for it now? With a scorching putter, Spaun gained four shots on the greens on Thursday and 2 points on Saturday, gaining ground against the field in the first and third rounds. Can Spaun maintain his form when he completes his pre-round warm-up, hears his name called on the tee, and begins the most important round of his life on Sunday? This is the first time Spaun has made it to a U.S. S. . open, not to mention a possible last pairing. He may be oblivious to what lies ahead. Shezig.
I will say Burns, the 54-hole leader, except for Ortiz, who is probably just too far back. In spite of some of the worst driving you’ll ever witness from a U, he managed to get under par on Saturday, and for that he deserves a great deal of credit. S. A leader who is transparent. Perhaps this is unjust. With his outstanding short game and superb iron play, he demonstrated genuine grit. He missed seven out of fourteen fairways, frequently by a significant margin, but I still can’t forget that awful driving.
I think about Burns’ absence here, perhaps even more than that. Despite his impressive clutch play in victories at Valspar, Colonial, and the WGC Match Play over the years, he has never, ever been in a true Sunday mix at a major. All of his only twentysomethings entered through the back door. Miller.
Could someone further down the leaderboard add some intrigue?
The world No. is the only person who can run like a dream on Sunday. Scheffler, 1. It is evident that a number of factors must come together for this to occur at 4-over-par. The conditions must remain soft, players must falter, Scheffler must overcome a shaky putter and the left miss he has been struggling with this week. All of that is entirely conceivable.
With this U, and at this golf course. S. With an open setup, players are continuously climbing and descending the leaderboard. We can tell that Burns shot a low score because he shot 65 on Friday. Think back to the Olympics in Paris, where Scheffler won gold after rallying from a four-shot deficit with a final-round score of 62. On Sunday, Scheffler can definitely give these guys a scare, even though he may be too late to win. Herzig.
Tyrrell Hatton, because he has so much more potential in this thing, man. Hatton would only be three back after a Saturday 66 if it weren’t for that vicious double bogey on Saturday. Furthermore, even that hypothetical ought to have been superior. He was second in the field from tee to green on Saturday thanks to his incredible iron play. The odd thing is that, despite being one of the world’s best putters, Hatton continually missed birdie opportunities, which hindered him. particularly since he made good putts on Thursday and Friday.
Go back to Hatton’s hilarious remarks at last year’s U, which have always irritated me. S. . open. He’s suited to this.
Every week I lose my mind, so it kind of puts other players on par with me. For a week, they are able to experience it somewhat in my mind. — Miller.
Is there a playoff, and what is the winning score?
The weather forecast for Sunday indicates that the conditions at Oakmont will remain soft and possibly very scoreable. Nonetheless, the USGA still has some tricks up its sleeve. Scoring may be greatly impacted by some nasty pin locations, such as the back-right spot on the par-3 13th that hasn’t been used yet. I’m going to predict that 6-under wins the tournament, and 5-under advances to the playoffs. Herzig.
Three below par. All five of these contenders have had consistent, dependable golf throughout the week, with one weak round thrown in. Not only have Scott and Hovland not shot lower than 71, but none of them have yet to reach 72. Thus, it is highly improbable that Burns, Scott, and Spaun will all significantly exceed the standard.
Scott loses to Hovland in a playoff match. Pandemonium. — Miller.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images provided the top image of Sam Burns.
