It was one of the most talked-about moments at the 2025 U.S. Open: Sam Burns, standing ankle-deep in soggy turf at Oakmont’s 15th hole, denied relief despite visible water. Under cloudy skies and after repeated rainfall delays, Burns found his ball resting in a visibly saturated lie. Water visibly splashed as he addressed the shot, and yet, the rules official on site determined there was no valid basis for relief under the USGA’s Temporary Water rule (Rule 16.1c).
“I walked into it, and clearly you could see water coming up,” Burns later told reporters. “Took practice swings and it’s just water splashing every single time.” Unable to drop to a drier area, he hacked the ball out from the mess and carded a bogey, which was a costly blow during an already grueling major setup. Burns ultimately finished T7 at +8, but the decision and the controversy around it overshadowed what had otherwise been a strong week.
One voice that quickly joined the conversation was fellow PGA Tour star and close friend, Justin Thomas. The two aren’t just our regulars; they’ve shared years of camaraderie both on and off the course. Their friendship dates back to their early professional days and is marked by easy chemistry and plenty of college football banter. Thomas, a proud Alabama alum, and Burns, a loyal LSU Tiger, have traded jabs online and in person, most notably in January 2024, when Burns lost a bet after an Alabama win and had “RTR” (Roll Tide Roll) shaved into his hair, a moment Thomas gleefully posted to Instagram.
WHAT A ROUND!
Sam Burns posts a spectacular Friday 65, the best we’ve seen this week. pic.twitter.com/WXbuq9oy2l
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2025
That dynamic made Thomas’s defense of Burns all the more meaningful when he spoke candidly in a YouTube interview with Micah Morris, part of the “I Challenged the PGA Tour’s Best Players” series. Asked about the incident and whether Burns not getting relief was “crazy,” Thomas didn’t mince words. He noted that under normal tournament conditions, players wouldn’t even involve an official. Instead, they’d take a drop without question. He noted that in any typical Tour event, players would almost certainly take relief from that kind of lie without involving an official. “Ten times out of ten, we take a drop out of there without getting a rules official involved,” he said.
“It’s either we don’t understand the rule, or they need to change the rule, because there’s no scenario he should’ve had to play that shot.” Thomas acknowledged the complexity of the rules but emphasized that what happened to Burns wasn’t fair. He added, “He handled it better than I would have, that’s for sure.” The broader takeaway: if pros like Thomas and Burns are uncertain about basic rulings in obvious conditions, maybe it’s time the USGA takes a closer look at the rules, or how they’re enforced.
Detroit showdown: Burns holds on, Thomas misses the cut
As the rule debate simmered, both Thomas and Burns teed it up at the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. For Thomas, it was a short week. He shot +1 over two rounds and missed the cut, struggling to find rhythm after an otherwise solid 2025 campaign that included a win at the RBC Heritage and multiple runner-up finishes.
Burns, meanwhile, is still in the hunt as the tournament enters the weekend. He currently sits T30 at 12 through two rounds, well off the lead but within striking distance if he posts a low number on Saturday. His week hasn’t included any rules drama, just steady play following a high-profile U.S. Open run where he briefly held the 54-hole lead. For now, Burns is letting his clubs do the talking, and Thomas is making sure that when rules go wrong, someone’s speaking up.
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