OAKMONT, Pa. — Despite appealing to two USGA rules officials, Sam Burns was denied water relief on the 15th hole during the championship round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.

Burns, who entered the day in sole possession of the lead and finished tied for seventh at 4 over, was one stroke off the lead as he teed off on 15. The shot splashed down into the right side of the rolling fairway, coming to a rest in the lowest part, where water from the afternoon’s torrential rains further soaked Oakmont’s already saturated turf.

Burns examined the lie and believed he should be granted relief from casual water, as his practice swings sent sprays of water off his club. Rules officials, though, disagreed.

“When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up,” Burns said. “Took practice swings, and it’s just water splashing every single time. Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed.

“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me, it’s up to the rules official. That’s kind of that.”

Forced to play the ball where it was, Burns tried to avoid the water as best he could. He sent the ball across the fairway and into the thick fescue on the left rough. As he watched his shot sail to the left, Burns swung his club in frustration, eliciting another spray of water that seemingly emphasized his pleas to rules officials.

By the end of the hole, he recorded his second double bogey of the afternoon and slipped to two shots back of the lead.

“I did the best I could,” Burns said. “I was 100% locked in on what I was trying to do. Ultimately, it felt like the water just kind of got in the way, and I went left. It is what it is.”

It was that kind of afternoon for Burns, who had his worst round of the tournament Sunday as he continues to chase his first major victory. He recorded an 8-over 78 for the round, six strokes worse than the 72 he shot in the first round. He also recorded two double bogeys in the final round after recording only one in the previous three.

On his first double bogey of the afternoon, Burns’ tee shot at No. 11 initially landed in the fairway but eventually rolled into a bit of a divot in the longer grass. From there, his shots ricocheted around the green until he finally tapped in a 2-foot putt.

“It happens,” Burns said. “You play enough golf, you hit it in divots, and everybody does.”

Adam Scott, who was paired with Burns for the final round, nearly asked for his own water relief several times after play resumed following a 96-minute weather break.

“It was borderline unplayable,” Scott said. “The water was like so close to the surface. Like the shot I hit on 11, it’s bizarre. I just don’t know. It was like an aquaplane on the ground.

“He tried to hit a 5-iron, I guess, on the 15th, and it’s tough. It’s a tough call, but we played. Everyone had to deal with it.”

Even with the frustration of less-than-ideal conditions and the disappointment of coming up short in another major, Burns was unperturbed as he spoke with reporters afterward.

“Look, I went out there and gave it the best I had,” he said. “Golf’s a hard game, especially on this golf course. At the end of the day, I can hold my head high.”