The 2025 U.S. Open is already at the halfway point, and after two rounds, the lead has dropped from four to three under par. The new leader, Sam Burns, holds a one-shot lead over first-round leader, J.J. Spaun.
What’s in store for Round 3? Here are five things to know for Saturday at Oakmont.
Sam Burns on fire
On a day when major winners like Shane Lowry and Justin Rose were grinding to break 80, Burns went the other way, posting a seemingly effortless five-under 65 — the low round of the tournament thus far.
While Burns has yet to win a major, his closest call came at last year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where he finished T9.
Putting can drive golfers insane. But it’s why Sam Burns leads the U.S. Open
What happened to Scottie?
After firing an opening round of three-over 73 on Thursday, Scheffler was looking to make up some ground on Friday. Unfortunately, his round of 71 did nothing to erase his deficit, which remains the same. At four over overall, Scheffler is still seven shots back with two rounds to play — not insurmountable, but he’ll need something special in Round 3.
In short, Saturday’s round will be very consequential in his chase for major No. 4.
Will experience take command?
There are only two major winners currently in the top 10 on the leaderboard: Adam Scott (E) and Brooks Koepka (+2).
Scott hasn’t won a major since his triumph at the Masters in 2013, but has an impressive 20 top 10s in the majors to his credit since 2002.
Koepka is seeking his sixth major championship, but first in two years, since his victory at the 2023 PGA Championship.
After exhausting U.S. Open Friday, a chaotic weekend awaits
The defending champ heads home early
Bryson DeChambeau entered this week with a fair amount of hype: he’s not only the defending U.S. Open champion, he also finished T5 and T2 at this year’s Masters and PGA Championship, respectively.
But after signing for a round of three over par on Thursday, DeChambeau was likely hoping for a resurgent Friday. Unfortunately, it was the opposite. DeChambeau carded eight bogeys and a double to post a second-round 77, pushing him to 10 over par overall and three shots over the cutline.
Multiple high-profile winners missed the cut
DeChambeau wasn’t the only big name to head home early. Other notable players to miss the cut at seven over par included:
Ludvig Aberg (72-76, +8)
Wyndham Clark (74-74, +8)
Patrick Cantlay (76-72 +8)
Lucas Glover (74-74, +8)
Cameron Smith (75-73, +8)
Phil Mickelson (74-74, +8)
Tommy Fleetwood (74-75, +9)
Min Woo Lee (77-72, +9)
Dustin Johnson (75-75, +10)
Joaquin Niemann (75, 75 +10)
Gary Woodland (73-77, +10)
Sepp Straka (78-73, +11)
Justin Thomas (76-76, +12)
Justin Rose (77-77, +14)
Shane Lowry (79-78, +17)
The weekend awaits. Who will sink and who will surge on Moving Day? We can’t wait to watch.
