By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
It could have been the ultimate Father’s Day gift for Todd Burns from his son Sam.
Sam Burns, the first team All-American LSU golfer as a sophomore from Shreveport in 2017, charged back against a faltering Wyndham Clark on Sunday after entering the U.S. Open final round at even par and seven strokes behind Clark. Burns, 29, birdied three of his first eight holes to pass 2026 PGA Tour money leader and close friend Scottie Scheffler for second place.
Clark, meanwhile, was authoring potentially the largest collapse in U.S. Open history as he bogeyed three of his first seven holes and began to resemble Greg Norman’s fall at the 1996 Masters when he blew a six-shot lead on the final day to lose to Nick Faldo.
Burns fired a 3-under par 67 Sunday to finish 3 under for the tournament at 277 as Clark won it with a 3-over 73 Sunday but 4-under overall score of 276 to become the first U.S. Open winner to lead after each of the four rounds since Martin Kaymer in 2014.
Heartbreak for Sam Burns.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 22, 2026
With a final-round 67 at the U.S. Open, Sam Burns was one centimeter shy of forcing a playoff. His Dad was on-site this Father's Day and will always be proud of him. pic.twitter.com/wXV102Ol48
Had Burns made a 16-foot birdie putt on the 18th with Clark playing behind him on the course, Burns conceivably could have tied him for the lead at the end and forced a playoff. But he missed the putt by that much – a half inch or maybe less.
A Burns’ win would have marked the biggest U.S. Open comeback since Arnold Palmer came from seven strokes behind wire-to-wire leader Mike Souchak to win in 1960 at Cherry Hills in Colorado with Jack Nicklaus finishing second by two strokes.
“I really thought I made that putt,” Burns told reporters after tossing his putter and hitting his knees and palms at the Shinnecock Hills course in Southampton, New York. “It just didn’t go in. It’s unfortunate I just came up one short.”
What a Father’s Day gift it could have been for his dad, who was at the tournament.
“He just said he was really proud,” said Burns, who lives in Choudrant near Ruston. “I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father’s Day. But I know he’s proud.”
It was Burns’ best finish in a major in his career after his second seventh place at a major this year at the Masters, which he led after the first round. Burns also sits at No. 10 on the PGA Tour money earnings list this season at nearly $6 million – $5,962,539.
“It’s a crazy life we live sometimes,” Burns said. “As a competitor, you want to go out there and compete as hard as you can and try to win. But at the end of the day, when you’re off the golf course, it’s really not that important and family is a lot more important than golf.”
Burns’ wife Caroline is expected to have their second child soon.
His near major win comes a year after shooting a 78 on the final day of the U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh when he led after two rounds, but finished seventh. He got a questionable, no-drop ruling last year following a rain delay when a shot fell onto a wet part of the fairway.
“Last year at Oakmont, I felt more like I lost the golf tournament,” Burns said. “I certainly don’t feel that way today. I gave it my best. I did everything I could to have a chance to win.”
Except for that agonizing missed putt.
“I’ll see that putt tonight,” he said.
And likely for many more nights.
But Burns showed what he can do despite the odds on Sunday, which could lead to that first major win.
“I felt like I was chasing all day,” he said. “To start the day seven shots back, I knew it was going to take something really special. I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
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