The tradition of the US Open finishing on Father’s Day Sunday could be in jeopardy after play was suspended due to dangerous weather.
The final pairing of Sam Burns and Adam Scott were about to tee off on the 301-yard, par-3 eighth hole just after 4 p.m. ET when the horn blew, indicating that play was being suspended.
Heavy rain had just begun to fall on Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a line of imposing clouds changed direction and headed over the course.
There is now real worry that the final round may not wrap up on Sunday and could finish on Monday.
The sun will set at Oakmont at 8:52 p.m. ET and the leaders have 11 holes left to play – approximately two-and-a-half hours of playing time. The US Golf Association said play would resume at 5:40 p.m. ET.
Radar shows that rain could be around Oakmont Country Club, and the grounds crew is already out on the course attempting to push water off the fairways and greens. Footage shown in the media center at Oakmont showed standing water at multiple spots around the course.
The weather sent thousands of people scrambling for shelter and those without umbrellas or rain jackets were left drenched as they tried to find dry spots. The fans following Scott and Burns were in the most trouble as they were a long walk away from either entrance to the grounds where concessions, merchandise and other covered areas are located.
It’s a disappointing moment as Burns and Scott were locked in a thrilling back-and-forth contest in the final pairing.
The opening holes of the final round were a challenge for the leaders as Scott began with a bogey on the first and then Burns followed suit with one of his own on the second. Scott then bogeyed the difficult third before bouncing back with a birdie on the fourth.
A hole later, Burns faltered again with his second bogey of the round and Scott grabbed a share of the lead for a short period when he buried his par putt. The 44-year-old Scott was the sentimental favorite for much of the gallery as the Australian is looking for his second major win, more than a decade after his 2013 Masters win.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
The post Heavy rains suspend play at US Open, raising the possibility of a Monday finish to the final round appeared first on CNN.
