Sam Burns Dignified in Defeat at 2026 U.S. Open

One short. The most painful expression in golf, a phrase that sends even the most level-headed player into agony, replaying every moment in his mind as he thinks about how one bounce or roll could have gone differently.

Sam Burns will leave Shinnecock Hills carrying that pain — the pain of coming up just shy of taking down a championship he has spent a lifetime dreaming of winning. But he should leave with his head held high after producing one of the finest rounds of the day on Sunday.

Starting the final round seven shots behind 54-hole leader Wyndham Clark, Burns fired a 3-under 67, the lowest score of any player in the last eight groups, when conditions were at their toughest. He birdied four of his first eight holes to pull within striking distance of Clark, who bogeyed three of his first seven out of the gates.

A poor iron shot on No. 9 resulted in a bogey and put a dent in Burns’s chances, but his most costly blow came at the 15th, where he missed a four-footer for par, three-putting to widen Clark’s lead to three.

Still, his chase wasn’t over.

Sunday Blog: Notes and amusements on the final round at Shinnecock

Burns responded by draining an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th to keep his championship hopes alive. Then, he hit one of the shots of the day into No. 17, turning a pure, controlled 9-iron against the wind to 10 feet, an outstanding shot under pressure by a natural fader of the golf ball. But with an opportunity to tie the lead, he authored his most timid putting stroke of the day, never giving the ball a prayer of touching the hole.

Burns had missed a golden opportunity, but he would still have one final chance to get in the clubhouse at 4 under, the eventual winning score. Underneath the hole from 16 feet away, Burns put a solid stroke on a birdie attempt that tracked toward the hole before losing speed and sliding just barely right. His putter flew from his hands and he dropped to his knees, fully aware of the putt’s importance.

He signed his card and headed to the range, needing Clark to play his final three holes at 1 over to get into a playoff.

Burns wouldn’t spend his next 45 minutes beating range balls, though. Instead, his two-year-old son, Bear, came running up to him. The two walked around the practice area together as Sam kept an eye on the championship on a large screen nearby.

“An airplane,” Bear said, pointing to the sky.

“You’re right,” Sam answered with a smile. He laughed as he played with his son, though it was clear he was fighting back disappointment. Then he ducked back indoors to watch the rest of regulation in privacy.

When Clark three-putted the 71st green and then missed the fairway on No. 18, Burns re-emerged and started hitting wedges on the range. But before Clark’s championship-clinching putt had even come to rest, Burns turned from the screen and removed his glove. He knew it was over.

“He just said he was really proud,” Burns said when asked what his father told him after the round. He paused before breaking down into tears. “I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father's Day, but I know he's proud.”

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In the days ahead, Burns will undoubtedly be tormented by replays of his poor putts on Nos. 15 and 17 in his mind. But his championship shouldn’t be remembered for its few imperfections.

For most of Sunday, Burns painted a masterpiece. For the first time in his major championship career, he demonstrated total command of his game from tee to green and produced the type of round required to win a major. He’d come up short, but he’d delivered a valiant effort.

Early in his professional career, the most glaring hole in Burns’s résumé was a lack of major championship success. Through his first 20 major starts, he recorded just one top-10 finish. But over his last five appearances dating back to last year’s U.S. Open, Sam has now had a chance to win on Sunday in three majors.

At 29 years old, he is playing the most complete golf of his career, with a game that has proven it stands up against the best competition in the sport.

“Ultimately, I think the guy who played the best won,” Burns said graciously after the tournament. He was dignified in defeat, both how he played and in the way he handled a soul-crushing loss.

As Sam obliged television interviews moments after Clark tapped in on No. 18, his father, Todd, sat nearby in a motorized scooter, wearing the disappointment of his son’s loss on his face.

He lifted his grandson Bear onto his lap and said, “Well, we’ll get ‘em next year.”

Then he drove away.