Sam Burns endured a nightmare final round at the US Open on Sunday.
Burns entered the final round of the US Open with a one-shot lead, but Oakmont caused him all sorts of problems throughout the round.
The 28-year-old finished off his week by shooting a round of eight-over par 78.
Burns was dealt a terrible break at the US Open on day four, after he was refused a drop from casual water in the 15th fairway.
That completely derailed him as he went on to play his final four holes in three-over par.
Golf fans fumed at the USGA for their treatment of Burns, but was the correct call actually made amidst all the criticism?
Brandel Chamblee has now weighed into the debate with a really interesting take.
The no-nonsense golf analyst is as uncompromising as they come, so he was always going to take a different route to most regarding the controversial situation involving Burns at Oakmont.
Brandel Chamblee on Sam Burns’ US Open drop controversy
Chamblee is no stranger to taking different views on certain situations than everyone else.
He certainly can’t be accused of being a follower!
And Chamblee responded when asked to give his opinion on the drop controversy at Oakmont involving Burns, when speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast.
He said, “I don’t know. I saw the posts and I’m not trying to discredit the posts or who posted it, but if the lie had been as bad as what was posted on social media he would have persisted more that the shot was unplayable.
“I was watching it in real time and I watched him. I saw him taking his stance, these referees, you don’t just get to referee the US Open if you are a part time rules official. They are the best of the best rules officials. And you don’t get that last tee time unless you are extraordinary at what you are doing.
These are incredibly competent, hard working people who know the rules, with no bias. So it’s difficult for me to believe that they would have missed something like casual water.
“So I am not in the camp that thinks this was a bad call. I think the golf course was borderline unplayable for everybody in the field. I don’t know this at all but if they reached the level of tedium where they were granting drops for everybody for the slightest bit of casual water I don’t know that they could have finished the round.
“And the fact that he didn’t persist demonstrably tells me that, one he’s incredibly mature, but also that he was willing to accept it and carry on. And in that moment you do have to be able to pick the ball, you have to allow for that. If you go down and get it and get more stuff, water, grass or mud between the club and the golf ball, you are not going to be able to control it.“
Chamblee actually makes a great and very well articulated point, and Burns deserves huge credit for accepting the decision in the manner that he did.
Sam Burns’ stats at the 2025 US Open
A potentially life-changing week turned into a hugely disappointing one for Burns in the end.
He was actually right near the top in all of the statistical categories after three rounds.
But he dropped down significantly in them all after his final round of 78.
| Stats | Rank |
| Strokes gained off the tee | 49th |
| Strokes gained approach | 44th |
| Strokes gained scrambling | 64th |
| Strokes gained putting | 39th |
So it’s very much back to the drawing board now for the man from Louisiana.
Burns is definitely good enough to win a US Open one day, and his experience at Oakmont should serve him really well going forward.
As Chamblee alluded to, Burns clearly has the maturity needed to win big golf tournaments.
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