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  • Sam Burns WITB (14th June, 2025) - What's In The Bag? The US Open @ Oakmont Golf and Country Club

Sam Burns WITB (14th June, 2025) - What's In The Bag? The US Open @ Oakmont Golf and Country Club

With Oakmont’s lightning-fast fairways and tight landing zones, Sam’s higher-lofted, low-spin setup offers penetrating flight with enough forgiveness to avoid getting chewed up by the rough.

June 14, 2025

Ball & Grips: Callaway Chrome Tour X with Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grips

Sam Burns’ WITB 2025: Southern Charm, Steel Nerves, and a Bag Built for Brutality at Oakmont

If you thought Sam Burns was just a clean-cut Louisiana lad with smooth hands and a smoother drawl, think again. He may look like the type of guy who helps his grandma with the groceries and volunteers at the church picnic, but this week at Oakmont? Sam Burns is the guy burying everyone’s U.S. Open dreams in a shallow grave behind the 7th green.

Heading into Round 3 of the 2025 U.S. Open, Burns holds the solo lead at 3-under-par. Not bad, considering Oakmont has been handing out double bogeys like free samples at Costco. Behind him? JJ Spaun at -2, Viktor Hovland at -1, and a leaderboard that looks like a crime scene report.

Let’s get into the bag — the cold-blooded club setup Sam Burns is using to survive the week’s most vicious test of ball-striking, nerve, and emotional resilience.

🔨 Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9° @10°)

Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 TX

Sam’s been a Callaway guy for years, but this version of the Triple Diamond S marks a subtle but meaningful evolution. In previous seasons, he flirted with different Paradym and Rogue ST models, typically in the 9° range. This year, he’s added a touch more loft, cranking the head to 10° — likely for a higher launch angle to combat Oakmont’s firm fairways and optimize carry over its sadistic bunkering.

The Ventus Blue 7 TX remains a staple — stiff, stable, and built for tour-level aggression. It's no surprise Burns hasn't changed this shaft in several seasons. When you find the perfect balance between speed and control, you keep that magic wand in the holster.

Oakmont Fit: With Oakmont’s lightning-fast fairways and tight landing zones, Sam’s higher-lofted, low-spin setup offers penetrating flight with enough forgiveness to avoid getting chewed up by the rough. This isn’t about chasing distance — it’s about survival and surgical placement.

🔥 3-Wood: Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond (15° @16°)

Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 75 TX

This club is Burns’ Oakmont escape hatch. The Elyte Triple Diamond is a new prototype that made its way into his bag this season, replacing the Rogue ST fairway wood he carried for years. It’s slightly more compact, with a piercing trajectory designed for control off the tee — particularly on tight par 4s where driver is a death sentence.

The Tensei 1K Black 75 TX is as stout as they come — low launch, low spin, all business. If the driver is a scalpel, this is a machete.

Oakmont Fit: Essential for placement. Burns likely leans on this to find the short stuff on holes where driver brings those famously unplayable Oakmont bunkers into play. It’s about playing chess while others play Minesweeper.

🪓 Utility Iron: Callaway Apex UT (3i)

Shaft: Project X 6.5

The Apex UT isn’t new to Burns’ bag — he’s gamed a variation of this utility iron since 2022. But this season’s version includes some refinements in the topline and sole geometry that make it even more playable on hard turf.

The Project X 6.5 shaft is heavy steel — unforgiving, precise, and perfect for a guy who compresses golf balls like he's trying to make diamonds.

Oakmont Fit: This is the club for long par-3s and tee shots that require absolute positional discipline. With Oakmont’s runway-like fairways, Burns can launch this low bullet and watch it scurry up to the green like it owes him money.

🔩 Irons: Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-PW)

Shafts: Project X 6.5

These are new for 2025, replacing the older TCBs that had been a staple in Sam’s bag since his breakout years. The updated ’24 versions offer a slightly thinner topline, improved turf interaction, and — crucially — tighter CG tolerances for more consistent launch windows.

The Project X 6.5s haven’t changed, and why would they? Burns is one of the best iron players on tour when his tempo’s locked in, and these shafts help him flight the ball under control without giving up any aggression.

Oakmont Fit: This is where the U.S. Open is won or lost. Burns' iron game gives him the ability to hit high-spin lasers into Oakmont’s glassy greens — a must-have when you’re playing into Sunday pin positions designed by someone who probably got fired from a hedge maze for being too cruel.

⚔️ Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 (50°-12F, 56°-14F @55°, 60°-08M)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue (56°, 60°)

Burns’ commitment to Callaway ends at the scoring clubs. He’s a longtime Vokey loyalist, sticking with Titleist wedges because when it comes to greenside magic, these tools just hit different.

The bent 56° down to 55° shows he’s dialled into gapping. The F grind on his 50° and 55° provide stability through Oakmont’s tough turf, while the 60° M grind offers versatility for open-face artistry out of tight lies and bunkers that look more like meteor impact craters.

Oakmont Fit: With green speeds measured in nightmares per hour, Burns’ short game needs to be dialled to the millimetre. The S400 shafts add weight and control, helping him generate spin even from shaved-down lies that look like the course forgot to finish puberty.

🧠 Putter: Odyssey Ai-One #7 SB

This is new for 2025 and a serious leap from the traditional blade Burns used earlier in his career. The Ai-One #7 SB features a futuristic insert designed by actual rocket scientists (probably) to create more consistent roll from heel to toe.

The #7 head shape is famous for stability and forgiveness — and when paired with a single-bend shaft, it suits Burns’ straight-back-straight-through stroke perfectly.

Oakmont Fit: This putter is Burns’ not-so-secret weapon. With greens that could double as frying pans, lag putting becomes an extreme sport. The Ai-One insert helps him control distance on long bombs and stay aggressive inside ten feet. You need guts — and a damn good putter — to close at Oakmont.

🧢 Ball & Grips

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

The Chrome Tour X replaced his Chrome Soft X in 2024 — it’s lower spinning off the driver but delivers more consistent launch and short game spin. It’s a tour ball for players who want complete command of trajectory without sacrificing feel — exactly the sort of control you need on a course where 3 feet past the pin means 12 feet coming back.

The Tour Velvet Align grips keep Sam’s hands exactly where he wants them. Nothing fancy, just reliable feedback and perfect hand alignment — every. single. swing.

🔄 Notable Equipment Changes Over the Years

  • 2021–2023: Burns primarily gamed the Callaway Rogue ST driver, Apex Pro irons, and a Toulon blade putter.

  • 2024: Switched to Paradym driver, and Chrome Tour X ball. Added Vokey SM9 wedges mid-season.

  • 2025: Major updates — new Apex TCB ’24 irons, Vokey SM10 wedges, and a full switch to the Odyssey Ai-One #7 putter, which marks a huge change in putting philosophy. It’s the most tech-forward club in his bag — a sign that Sam is ready to embrace innovation to gain that final edge.

🎇 Saturday Showdown at Oakmont

As we head into Moving Day, Burns is doing something extraordinary — he’s making Oakmont look playable. But the worst is yet to come. The USGA doesn’t soften on the weekend — they sharpen their knives and start whispering to the pin flags.

But Sam Burns? He’s got the grit, the gear, and the gall to go the distance. His bag is a blueprint for precision, control, and composure, tailor-made for a course that chews up egos and spits out broken launch monitors.

So don’t let the smile fool you.

Sam’s not just leading the U.S. Open. He’s hunting a legacy — with a golf bag full of quiet weapons and violent intent.

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