Early in the final round of the U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills it is Sam Burns mounting the strongest challenge to leader Wyndham Clark.
Burns opened the day on fire, carding four birdies in the first eight holes to jump up from even par into second place on the leaderboard at minus-4. He started his day seven shots back of Clark but had trimmed that edge to just one stroke less than halfway through the round.
The 29-year-old Burns is looking for the first major victory, and sixth win overall, of his professional career after finishing in a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open last year, which the PGA Tour staged at historic Oakmont Country Club.
But more than just glory and money may be fueling Burns’ run on Father’s Day in the Hamptons, as he and his wife, Caroline Burns, are expecting the birth of their second child in July.
Sam Burns, Wife Caroline Burns, Have Been Together Since College
GettySam Burns and wife Caroline Burns.
Burns and his wife have known one another since they were young children and started off their romantic relationship in earnest while attending Louisiana State University, where Burns starred on the golf team and captured the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year honors before becoming a pro in 2017.
He proposed to Caroline during a Tour event in South Carolina in April of 2019.
“I felt alright until about two minutes before I knew I was going to do it, and then I was kind of a train wreck,” Burns said during an interview with WCJL later that year.
The couple welcomed their first child, a boy they named Bear, in April of 2024. Now two years old, he will become an older brother later this summer.
Sam Burns Among Most Consistent Golfers at US Open This Week
GettySam Burns.
Burns, currently the 30th-ranked player in the world, has yet to win an event in 2026, though he has been knocking on the door with regularity.
He has recorded seven top-25 finishes and three finishes inside the top-10 so far this season, while also making 11 cuts in 14 events. Burns’ career winnings totaled north of $38 million heading into the U.S. Open at the brutal Northeast track of Shinnecock Hills this week, though that amount could increase significantly based on how Sunday’s round ends.
The tournament purse is a whopping $22.5 million, with with winner taking home $4.5 million and the coveted Claret Jug along with it. The golfer who finishes in second place will earn $2.43 million, third place will claim $1.53 million and fourth place will also see a seven-figure payday for the weekend with prize money totaling $1.07 million.
Burns has a great chance to finish inside the top four as one of the most consistent and steady players over the four-day mental marathon that has been the 2026 U.S. Open. He shot an opening round of 71, finishing one-over par on the day.
He carded his best round of the tournament on Friday, scoring a two-under 68. Burns then replicated his opening-round performance on moving day (Round 3) with another 71.
Burns entered Sunday eye-to-eye with Shinnecock Hills but had gotten the better of the course through the early portion of Sunday, moving to a four-under score after the 8th hole. At that point in the tournament, Burns was just one shot back of Clark for the lead.
Sam Burns’ Father’s Day Run at US Open Fueled by Family News