It was in 1973 when we last saw a score drop so low on a particular day at Oakmont. It was Johnny Miller’s incredible round of 10 birdies and a bogey that set the record for the lowest score in a single round at the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Skip to 2025, and it’s Sam Burns, who now stands second to that feat, when he shot the lowest score of the day, 5-under, on the second round of the U.S. Open on Friday. Burns had a slow start to the major, carding a 2-over round on the first day, which included a double bogey on the par 3 16th. But he decided to turn things around quickly. He birdied 4 holes during the first half of the 2nd round to take a one-shot lead over J.J. Spaun, who shot a bogey-free round of 66 on the first day but carded a 2-over on Friday.

With two more days of play, Burns will need to stick to his momentum and ensure he remains immaculate in his strategy on the course. So let’s take a look at his choice of clubs that he will use to execute his strategy for the weekend.

What did Sam Burns choose for his long game?

Burns has been using the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver (9°) since the 2023 Bay Hill tournament. Even last week at the RBC Canadian Open, where he narrowly missed the title to finish second, he had the same driver in his bag. The driver is designed for players like Burns, who are powerful off the tee, to help them maintain the accuracy they desire without compromising on their distance.

He picked the Fujikura Ventus Blue 7TX shaft to pair with the Callaway clubhead to be able to maintain stability and control of the clubface when he bombs his driver 312 yards. And clubface control is extremely crucial on a course like Oakmont, and Burns was able to achieve that by hitting 65% of the fairways on Friday.

For his 3-wood, he chose the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond fairway wood (15°) with a Fujikura Ventus Black 8TX shaft, which is suited for players like him who have a swing speed upwards of 110 mph. To bridge the gap between his irons and his woods, he usually has a hybrid in his bag. But for the 2025 U.S. Open, he decided to replace that with a Callaway Apex UT 3-iron, which he will need especially when he needs to approach reachable par 5s, like the 12th at Oakmont, in two. He paired it with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 9 TX shaft, which gives him the spin he needs at Oakmont’s lightning-fast greens.

He stuck to Callaway even for his choice of irons and plays with the Callaway Apex TCB Irons (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts. These irons are ideal for a course like Oakmont, where you need a penetrating ball flight for the length but need stability in your clubface control throughout your swing, and Burns executed just that, hitting 14 greens in regulation in his second round.

Burns’s choice for his short game

For a course like Oakmont, where the rough can swallow your ball and the endless number of bunkers you need to play out of, you need to make sure to have a good choice of wedges in your bag. Burms uses the Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50 degrees) with a True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft. Given the course demands exceptional ball placement through the approach shots, he also has his standard 56 & 60-degree wedges from Vokey Design, but with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts. The added weight on these shafts helps him maintain optimum control and accuracy around the greens.

While his iron play needs to be credited for Burns being able to achieve the 5-under round, it’s his world-class putting that also sets him apart from the field. Pairing his Odyssey Ai-One 7S Putter with Callaway Chrome Soft X golf balls, he was able to achieve a phenomenal round with just 27 putts, which is incredible given Oakmont’s notoriously fast and undulating greens. With his putting skills, there’s no doubt he ranks 1st in the Strokes Gained putting stats on the Tour.

Do you think Sam Burns will win at Oakmont?