Sam Burns hit a good tee shot on the 15th hole. At that moment, he was leading the US Open tied with Tyrrell Hatton. His ball went to the right, holding the line to finish just on the edge of the fairway, close to the first cut of rough. It was a good position on a hole that had been a grave for many players precisely from the tee. Burns didn’t know it yet, but the 15th would also end up being his downfall.
Upon reaching the ball, Burns noticed there was a lot of water on the ground. He stepped and water oozed out. With every practice swing he took near the ball, more water came out. For this reason, he called a referee and requested relief for casual water. It was not granted. The reality is that on television you could see a lot of water, and a journalist following the match passed through that same area just after Burns’ shot and made a video stepping on the ground and showing how the water rose up the sole of his shoe.
Burns did not agree with the referee’s decision and asked for a second opinion. There was no way. The second referee upheld what his colleague had said and also did not grant relief without penalty. Finally, Burns had to hit the second shot on the 15th as his ball lay, and the result was a disaster. A lot of water came out, and the ball completely closed. It ended up in the left rough, very badly positioned, and he ended up making a double bogey.
Interestingly, several hours earlier, when the downpour that hit Oakmont in the afternoon had not yet fallen, before that ruling on Burns, TenGolf was a direct witness of how a referee did grant relief without penalty for casual water to Jon Rahm on the right side of the 9th hole. And there was much less water than in Burns’ position. It’s hard to talk about injustice when two referees have reached the same conclusion, but certainly, the decision was very controversial.
In any case, hats off to Sam Burns. At the end of his round, don’t think he made a fuss about the matter. Of course, he thought they should have granted him relief, but he didn’t make a scene, he accepted it. “That fairway has a slope from left to right. It’s the lowest part of the fairway. When I got there, you could clearly see water coming out. I took practice swings and each time water splashed. I called a referee, but they disagreed. I checked it again. I thought maybe I’d have more luck with a second opinion. That referee also disagreed. At the end of the day, it’s not up to me, it’s up to the referees. That’s how it is,” he explained.
As for the impact it had on the shot, Burns has no doubt. “Travis (his caddie) and I said, ‘Look, let’s focus on the shot, let’s try to execute it.’ I did the best I could. I was 100% focused on what I was trying to do. In the end, I felt the water just got in the way and the ball went left. It is what it is,” he remarked without further complaint or criticism.
The reality is that Burns didn’t have much luck this Sunday. That relief not granted, ultimately key in his non-victory at the US Open, as the error on the 16th hole from the tee probably influenced by the double bogey on the 15th, was joined by his ball landing in a divot on the 11th and 14th holes. Burns lamented just enough. “It’s part of the game. Everyone has to deal with it. It’s part of it. It happens. If you play enough golf, you end up in divots and it happens to everyone. I’m extremely proud of how I fought. Overall, it was a great week. It’s great to have my son here on Father’s Day, it was an incredible experience.”
Finally, far from making excuses, Burns took the lead in explaining the final result of the tournament. “It was tough. The conditions were extremely difficult. I didn’t have my best level today. Yes, it was really challenging. I gave it my all and I can hold my head high. That’s it.”
