More than a decade after winning the Masters, Adam Scott’s name sits tied for second on the U.S. Open leaderboard, the only former major winner anywhere near the top.

Scott birdied three of his final six holes Saturday to pull within a shot of tournament leader Sam Burns, who will join the 44-year-old Australian in the final pairing Sunday at Oakmont Country Club. As the 2013 Masters champion, Scott might seemingly hold an advantage over Burns, but Oakmont history says otherwise.

Seven of the nine previous U.S. Open champions crowned at the historic course were first-time major winners, a list Burns, J.J. Spaun or Viktor Hovland will try to join.

“As a kid growing up, you dream about winning major championships, and that’s why we practice so hard and work so hard,” said Burns, the leader at 4-under-par, whose best major finish was a tie for ninth at last year’s U.S. Open. “All these guys in this field I think would agree that to have the opportunity to win a major is special.”

Statistically the best putter on the PGA Tour, those skills surely helped the 28-year-old Burns take on Oakmont’s fast greens. He was one of only four golfers under par after three rounds.

Scott and Spaun were tied for second at 3-under, and Hovland was 1-under.

Behind them on the leaderboard, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz (even), England’s Tyrrell Hatton (1-over), South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence (1-over), Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (2-over), Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre (3-over) and Cameron Young (3-over) haven’t won a major either.

They all want what Scott already has.

It was 12 years ago when Scott won the Masters with a 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole, earning him his first and only major title. He has finished in the top 10 at a major 18 times in his career, most recently a tie for 10th at the 2024 British Open.

Scott’s best U.S. Open finish was a tie for fourth in 2015, but he also finished seventh in 2019 and ninth in 2014. He will have a chance Sunday to finally win one.

“It would be super fulfilling,” Scott said. “Everyone out here has got their journey, you know. Putting ourselves in these positions doesn’t just happen by fluke. It’s not easy to do it. I really haven’t been in this kind of position for five or six years, or feeling like I’m that player. But that’s what I’m always working towards.

“It’s not that easy to figure it all out. But if I were to come away with it tomorrow, it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career.”

After a bogey on the first hole, Scott birdied Nos. 4, 13, 14 and 17 for a 3-under 67. He carded a 32 on the back nine with no bogeys.

Tee times for the fourth round start at 7:52 a.m. The final pairing tees off at 2:15 p.m.

Burns entered the third round as the leader at 3-under but improved that score by only one stroke Saturday. He shot a 1-under 69 with three birdies and two bogeys. He and Spaun battled for the tournament lead all afternoon.

Spaun, the tournament’s first-round leader, was nearly in the final grouping with Burns until he bogeyed No. 18 after finding a greenside bunker.

Spaun shot a 1-under 69.

“I’m just happy I’m still within shouting distance going into tomorrow,” said Spaun, who had three birdies and two bogeys. “(No.) 18’s just a tough hole, kind of, if you’re out of position. … But, you know, bogeys happen at Oakmont, and I still got 18 holes tomorrow.”

Hovland’s third round got off to a rough start with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 3. He battled back with birdies on the ninth, 10th and 17th holes before bogeying 18 for an even-par round.

The 27-year-old’s best finish in a major was third at the 2024 PGA Championship.

“I’m well aware that I’ve got a chance tomorrow, and if I shoot a low round of golf tomorrow then anything can happen,” Hovland said. “But there’s a lot of good players around me. Adam Scott played a brilliant round today, just didn’t really miss a shot. That forces me to play some really good golf tomorrow.”

After Scott, the former major winner highest on the leaderboard is Scottie Scheffler, who’s tied for 11th at 4-over. The list of first-time major champions to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont includes Dustin Johnson, Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Parks Jr. and Tommy Armour.

The past three at Oakmont all had first-time winners.

“You know this place is special in itself,” Burns said. “The history here and all the people that have been before me and walked these grounds and played here, it’s really special.”

Burns finished Friday’s round with a one-shot lead, but that cushion didn’t last long. Spaun made a 15-footer for birdie on the first hole Saturday to tie Burns for the lead at 3-under.

They were tied again at 2-under once Burns bogeyed the second hole with a drive into the front bunker, and Spaun bogeyed No. 3 after an errant tee shot that nearly found the Church Pews bunker. Spaun recovered with a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 4, and Burns answered with a 2-footer for birdie on 5.

Again, they were tied at 3-under.

“It seemed like we were kind of back and forth,” Spaun said. “He would take the lead, I would take the lead, I would fall back, whatever. But it was fun.”

The co-leaders stayed tied at 3-under until Burns birdied No. 13 by rolling in a 7-footer. But three holes later, they were tied once again after Burns bogeyed 16.

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: This golf course is difficult,” Burns said. “It takes a lot of patience.”

Burns and Spaun each birdied No. 17 — a 320-yard par 4. But Spaun then bogeyed 18 after his tee shot landed way right of the fairway and his second shot found the bunker, dropping him one shot off the lead.

All the while, Scott was closing on the leaders.

He made a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 13 and birdied again on 14 by sticking his tee shot on the par 3 about a foot from the pin. On No. 17, Scott rolled in a 14-foot birdie to reach 3-under.

In two previous U.S. Open starts at Oakmont, Scott missed the cut in 2007 (16-over) and tied for 18th in 2016 (6-over).

“I would say I was less overwhelmed coming to Oakmont this time,” Scott said. “And that’s not a knock on the golf course, but maybe just a couple trips around the U.S. Open here, I knew what to expect.”

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