US Open leaders warned about the golfer they should be very scared of on the final day by Smylie Kaufman

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There is a very good chance that someone is going to win their first major title on Sunday at the US Open, with the likes of Sam Burns, J.J. Spaun and Viktor Hovland all in the final two groups at Oakmont.

It has been a rather strange US Open so far. Any hopes of a heavyweight battle just like Pinehurst 12 months ago were quickly dashed.

Bryson DeChambeau missed the cut, while Rory McIlroy seems to wish that he had done. And Scottie Scheffler goes into the final round at Oakmont eight shots back of the lead.

Of course, winning a major championship will elevate the reputation of whichever player triumphs on Sunday. Adam Scott is the only player inside the top 10 to have done so previously.

Smylie Kaufman names star to watch out for on Sunday at the US Open

But given the lack of experience of winning one of the four biggest events of the year, there is certainly the potential for plenty of twists and turns over the final 18 holes in Pennsylvania.

There will be many golf fans who believe that it is Viktor Hovland‘s time to step up and become a major winner, despite his struggles over the last couple of years.

The Norwegian is three shots back of Sam Burns. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman believes that the 27-year-old could be the man to watch after following much of his third round on Saturday.

“He really settled in right around the fifth hole. He was two over through his first four and then, seriously, from five all the way until the 10th hole, did not miss a beat, hit so many great iron shots, hit the pin on nine with a seven iron. One bounce and hit the pin and then finally he makes a putt on nine, makes an amazing putt down the hill on 10,” he said.

“I’m trying to think, the rest of the day, how could it have been better? Where could he have got three or four shots? Well, I think of two wedge shots which come to mind – it would have been the 12th hole, he laid up to about 77 yards, hits it to like 40 feet, very poor shot when he had a chance for a birdie, and then 14, I think he totally hit a shot that he was worried about going long because his last wedge shot went 40 feet past, and he ended up leaving it 40 feet short. Misjudged some wedge shots, but other than that, just some misses out to the right, and I think he was so, so fortunate at 17 to get a good lie. When I was walking to his golf ball on 17, I was expecting to see the worst lie ever, and I get to it and I was like, ‘what am I looking at?’ I could actually see the whole golf ball. It was in a good bit of rough, but it was somewhere where he could definitely fly it to the middle of the green and get it close, and he flies it even further and gets it to stop and go to three feet. At 18 of course, we see the right miss come out again.

“I reckon if he can clean up that miss off the tee and just dial in the wedges a little bit more and then probably have his best putting day of the week – which at this point, I think the first three days he’s been pretty average – if he can mesh all these things together, he’s the best iron player that’s left right now, and that’s a scary proposition for the guys that he’s chasing down, because they know that this guy can knock down some flag sticks.”

How Viktor Hovland has performed in the US Open during his career

Following the end of the 2023 PGA Tour season, it appeared a matter of time before Hovland won a major. He was virtually the best player on the planet as he won the 2023 FedEx Cup.

But he has had plenty of struggles in the time since. And the US Open has certainly not been a happy hunting ground for the youngster over the years.

It is the one major in which he has never registered a top 10 finish.

That does look set to change on Sunday. Perhaps this US Open will conclude with Hovland being able to call himself a major champion.