4 men enter Sunday under par at Oakmont: Choose your fighter 3g124z

As expected, a brute of a test for the world's best golfers has emerged at Oakmont for the 125th U.S. Open. 44d46

Only four men enter the final round under par for the championship, with Sam Burns leading the way at 4-under. That makes it increasingly likely the winner Sunday will come from the final two groups featuring Burns, Adam Scott, J.J. Spaun and Viktor Hovland.

Let's run down the case for each contender to choose a fighter for a Father's Day showdown.

Sam Burns: The putter 195y17

Burns usually makes his money on the greens, leading the PGA TOUR this season in putting, miles ahead of the other three names on this list. That flatstick has delivered on the treacherous greens at Oakmont, but the rest of Burns' game has been remarkable as well. He leads the field in approach play for the event and is fourth in strokes gained: around the green. That helped him overcome a brutal day off the tee where he ranked second-last in the field. Expect a lengthy range session for Burns to get the driver sorted before his Sunday tee time.

Burns has consistently been a solid performer on TOUR, but holding the 54-hole lead at Oakmont is still somewhat of a surprise. The 28-year-old has just one top-10 finish in 20 career major starts, however, it came last year in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. If the chasers are looking for a stat to boost their mood heading into the final round, the success rate of closers with a one-shot lead is definitely it.

Sam Burns leads by 1 with 18 holes to play at the U.S. Open.

All-time, players with a 1-shot lead through 54 holes at this championship have won 32% of the time (14-for-44).

Across all majors the last 40 years, players win at a 42% rate with a 1-shot, 54-hole lead.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 14, 2025

Adam Scott: The veteran 351s10

Few men in the past three decades have had the Scott's consistency. The 44-year-old is playing in his 97th consecutive major - an outrageous number considering the trio of Burns, Spaun, and Hovland have played in 59 majors combined. After playing what he called "old-man par golf" with two rounds of 70, Scott made four birdies Saturday to match the lowest score of the day with 67.

While his win came 12 years ago at Augusta, Scott is the only major champion within seven shots of the lead at Oakmont. The Australian's picture-perfect golf swing has produced an incredible career thus far, but a second major feels appropriate to give his 25-year professional resume some added prestige.

His ball-striking has been brilliant thus far, but perhaps the most impressive showing he had Saturday was out of the bunkers. Scott went 3-for-3 on sand saves for the day, including one from the greenside bunker on the 17th that led to a birdie to book his place in the final group.

J.J. Spaun: The underdog 3p4u

Spaun, 34, is in the midst of a career year after finishing runner-up in a playoff to Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship in March. He's been a fixture at Oakmont since the opening day, largely thanks to an incredible putting week on the slick greens. Spaun entered the week ranked 84th in putting this season on the PGA TOUR but is leading the field at the U.S. Open through three rounds. Putting is the most fickle of golf skills day-to-day, so Spaun could crash back down to Earth in the final round, but it's clear he's comfortable on the lightning-quick surfaces this week.

Another reason to doubt Spaun's legitimate contender status is a quick look at his majors resume. Not only has Spaun never seriously been in the mix, he has just one career top-25 finish in a major. That makes him unquestionably the underdog of this quartet with one round to play.

Viktor Hovland: The flusher 4s3w5

He listens to death metal, tours the prison where "Shawshank Redemption" was filmed each year at the Memorial Tournament, and is intrigued by the potential existence of UFOs. Hovland might just be the most interesting man in golf. He's also an absolute flusher of the golf ball.

Hovland's iron-play has traditionally been among the best in the world, and remains that way this season with a ninth-place ranking on TOUR in approach. He's third this week in that area as well, so don't be shocked if he's beating down flagsticks all day Sunday. However, like Spaun and his putting, it's an area where Hovland doesn't usually excel that is shining at Oakmont. The Norwegian who once famously said "I suck at chipping," is third in the field at the U.S. Open in strokes gained: around the green. In the rare instance he misses a green, Hovland is getting up-and-down almost every time. That combo makes him a dangerous man on the leaderboard.

While a win would be Hovland's first major, his resume is already dotted with impressive achievements at age 27. He's already got a FedEx Cup title under his belt, and he would be the 14th player to win the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open if he notches a comeback victory.