‘Emotional’ Sam Burns Moved to Tears After Heartbreaking Loss at 2026 U.S. Open

Sam Burns' bid to force a playoff at the U.S. Open fell short on the 18th hole as he agonizingly missed a close-range birdie putt.

‘Emotional’ Sam Burns Moved to Tears After Heartbreaking Loss at 2026 U.S. Open

Sam Burns (Image via X/@GOLF_com)

On Sunday, Sam Burns almost pulled off an incredible comeback at the 2026 U.S. Open. In the end, he suffered a heartbreaking defeat as he finished 1-shot behind the winner, Wyndham Clark. In the press conference, an emotional Burns was moved to tears.

As Clark continued to dominate the playing field, Burns kept on chasing him. After a first round score of 71, he shot 68 on Friday and followed it up with another round of 71 on Saturday.

Heading into the final round, Burns knew he had a mountain to climb. The 5-time PGA Tour winner was 7-shots behind Clark.

In major golf history, only once had a player lost a championship after leading by 6 shots or more after 3 rounds. That happened in the 1996 Masters Tournament when Greg Norman lost a 6-shot lead and finished 5-shots behind the winner Nick Faldo.

Burns got the start he wanted and was 4-under par through the first 8 holes. Meanwhile, Clark had some early troubles and made 3 bogeys in the first 7 holes. Burns, however, made a bogey on the 9th hole to finish the front nine 3-under par.

On the back nine, he made another bogey on, this time on the 15th hole. He immediately bounced back with a birdie on the 16th hole.

The huge moment for him came on the 18th hole. His birdie putt on the final hole went agonizingly wide of the hole, leaving the golfer on his knees.

This proved to be a crucial miss for Burns. Clark kept his composure on the final hole and made a par to finish 1-shot ahead of him and capture his 2nd U.S. Open title.

As Clark celebrated with his father, Randall Clark, Burns was left heartbroken. On the occasion of Father’s Day, Burns’ father, Todd Burns, was also present at the Shinnecock Hills in New York and cheered for his son as he chased his maiden major title.

In the press conference after the round, the 29-year-old was left in tears. He claimed it would have been a “special day” had he won on Father’s Day.

I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father’s Day but I know he’s proud.

Sam Burns told the reporters

Burns later revealed that his brother and his father played football in college. They also played golf, which led to him picking up a golf club as well.

This runner-up finish is his best performance in a major competition. Earlier this year, he had finished T7 at the Masters Tournament in Augusta National.

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Sam Burns was centimetres away from pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in golf

Sam Burns was nearly there. In the final round of the U.S. Open, the golfer almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in golf had his ball rolled a few centimetres towards the hole.

Sam Burns
Sam Burns (Image via PGA Tour)

As per the PGA Tour Communications, Burns fell one stroke shy of equaling the record of Arnold Palmer. In 1960, the golf great pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in U.S. Open history.

He started the final round 7 shots behind the 54-hole leader, Mike Souchak. A final round 65 saw him win the tournament by finishing 4-under par, 2 strokes ahead of the then 21-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus. Had Burns won, he would have tied this great feat.

While Burns had to settle for a 2nd place finish, he is on the rise. After managing just 1 top-25 finish in his first 16 majors, he now has top-10 finishes in 4 of his last 9 majors, with 3 of them coming at the U.S. Open.

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