Sam Burns

ELIGIBILITY: The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2024.]

Burns was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, Todd, and brother, Chase, played college football at Louisiana Tech.
Burns committed to LSU as the nation's No. 1 golf recruit in the U.S., according to Golfweek Junior Golf Rankings and Polo Junior Golf Rankings. As one of Louisiana's most decorated junior golfers, Burns earned victories at several events. In high school, he won the 2012 LHSAA Division IV state championship, two back-to-back LHSAA Division III state championships, and pushed Calvary Baptist Academy to five straight state team titles.
Burns really broke through in 2014, a year in which he was honored as the AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year. He also won the 2014 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions at Richland Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., carding a record-breaking 21-under-par 267. Burns followed that by winning the 2014 Junior PGA Championship in Bryan, Texas. In September 2014, he went undefeated in three matches while representing the U.S. at the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Scotland. The U.S. defeated the Europeans 16-8. Burns qualified for the 2014 U.S. Amateur and reached the round of 32 at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
In his sophomore season at LSU in 2016-17, Burns was the NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year, winning four tournaments in 15 starts. Burns represented the United States on the winning 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup team, and he qualified for the PGA Tour's 2017 Barbasol Championship, where he finished T-6th. He turned professional that summer.
End of 2017 Notes: Burns made his PGA Tour debut as a professional at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October. After finishing T-43rd, he played at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open a week later and finished T-20th. He earned a Korn Ferry Tour card in December by finishing T-10th at the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying tournament.
2018 Notes: Played on both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour. On the PGA Tour, played in 11 events, making 8 cuts with one top-ten. On the Korn Ferry Tour entered - 24 tournaments; Played in 56 rounds, making 12 cuts with five top-ten finishes. Scoring Average - 69.21 (Rank 5th); Regular Season Money - $291,878 (Rank 2nd); Playoff Money - $4,656 (Rank 97th), Priority Rank - 7th.
He finished T-2nd at the Club Colombia Championship in February in his third Korn Ferry Tour start. In his fifth start on the PGA Tour, he finished T-8th at the Honda Classic with Tiger Woods as his playing partner in the final round. That earned Burns entry into the Valspar Championship, where he finished T-12th. Burns earned his first professional win in his fifth career Korn Ferry Tour start at the Savannah Golf Championship when he birdied each of the final three holes to defeat Roberto Castro by one shot. Burns spent much of the year using sponsor's exemptions to chase his PGA Tour card. He finished T-41st in the U.S. Open after shooting 62-65 to collect medalist honors at the Memphis sectional by five shots. On the Korn Ferry Tour, he was 3rd at the Utah Championship, T-7th at the Price Cutter Charity Championship, and 3rd at the KC Golf Classic. By finishing 2nd on the Korn Ferry Tour money list, he earned a PGA Tour card for 2019.
2019 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour events, making 16 cuts with three top-ten finishes. Was 94th in the FedExCup points standings. Was T-3rd at the Sanderson Farms Championship, six back of winner Cameron Champ. He finished 9th at the RBC Heritage and was T-7th at the 3M Open. After missing the cut at the John Deere Classic, he returned home and landed wrong on his right foot while playing basketball with friends and heard a pop. The next day, he found out that he had broken his ankle in two places but, luckily, didn't require surgery. So his season was over, and he spent the next two months with a boot and then an ankle brace.
2020 Notes: Played in 19 PGA Tour events, making 11 cuts and one top-ten. Finished 111th in the FedExCup points list. He was able to return to the tour at Greenbrier, missing the cut. The ankle wasn't good in his first starts, and it took a few months before he got his full range of motion back. Things were good at The American Express, and with a final round, 63 finished T-6th. It would be his only top ten of the season, which ended up missing the cut at the Northern Trust.
2021 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour events, making 19 cuts and one top-ten. Finished 18th in the FedExCup points list. Opened the season T-7th at the Safeway Open after holding a two-shot lead after the second round. At the Vivint Houston Open led after the second and third rounds but shot 72 in the final round to finish T-7th, six shots back of winner Carlos Ortiz. At the Genesis Invitational held the outright lead after each of the first two rounds but shot 74-69 on the weekend to finish a shot back of the Homa/Finau playoff. Was T-4th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Billy Horschel. At the Valspar Championship had four rounds in the 60s to win by three shots over Keegan Bradley. It was his first PGA Tour win at age 24 years, 9 months, and 9 days, it came in his 76th career start. After taking a week off, Burns got off to a quick start at the AT&T Byron Nelson, shooting 65-62-69 to lead after the second and third rounds. But shot a final-round 70 when he struggled with the putter to finish 2nd, three shots back of winner K.H. Lee. Shot a final-round 64 at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational but lost in a playoff to Abraham Ancer. The FedExCup playoffs were T-21st at the Northern Trust, 8th at the BMW Championship, and T18th at the Tour Championship.
2022 Notes: Played in 24 PGA Tour events, making 18 cuts with eight top-tens. Finished 24th in the FedExCup points list. Started the season with a one-shot victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Was T-5th at the CJ Cup, four shots back of winner Rory McIlroy. Was T-7th at the Houston Open, five back of winner Jason Kokrak. Was T-3rd in the unofficial Hero World Challenge, three shots back of winner Viktor Hovland. Was T9th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Won the Valspar Championship for the second consecutive year, beating Davis Riley with a birdie on the second playoff hole (par-4 16th), making a 32-foot, 6-inch putt. With the victory, he became the first Masters rookie with three PGA Tour wins since 2014, when both Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed made their Masters debut after winning three PGA Tour titles. At the Masters missed the cut. Finished 2nd at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Billy Horschel, two shots back of winners Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay. Earned his third victory of the season at the Charles Schwab Challenge, winning in a playoff over Scottie Scheffler, making a 38-foot birdie putt from off the green on the first hole of a playoff. Burns entered the final round seven shots back and shot a final-round 65 to force the playoff over Scheffler. Shot 65-65 over the weekend at the RBC Canadian Open to finish T-4th, five shots back of winner Rory McIlroy. Was runner-up at the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland, he shot 70-65 to finish a shot back of winner Xander Schauffele. In the FedExCup playoffs was T-20th at the FedEx St. Jude, T-19th at the BMW Championship, and 24th at the Tour Championship. Member of the American Presidents Cup team, with a 0-3-2 record, he halved his singles match with Hideki Matsuyama.
2023 Notes: Played in 26 PGA Tour events, making 19 cuts with six top-tens. Finished 22nd in the FedExCup points list. Was T-7th at the CJ Cup. Shot 64-68 to finish T-6th at the WM Phoenix Open over the weekend. Shot a final round 67 to finish 6th in defending his Valspar Championship. Burns won the last WGC-Dell Match Play Championship played, beating Cameron Young 6 & 5 in the final. Burns was 3-0 in group play, beating Adam Hadwin, Adam Scott, and Seamus Power, and then beating Patrick Cantlay and Mackenzie Hughes to get into the semis. He beat the defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, making a 15-foot birdie on the 21st hole. It was Burns' first time playing in the WGC-Dell Match Play. Finished T-6th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, three shots back of the Emiliano Grillo/Adam Schenk playoff. In the FedExCup playoffs was T-52nd at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, T-15th at the BMW Championship and T-9th at the Tour Championship.
2024 Notes: Held a one-shot lead after the second round of The American Express and went on to finish T-6th. Finished T-3rd at the WM Phoenix Open, his second consecutive top-10 at the event and first top-five on the PGA Tour since winning the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Was T-10th at the Genesis Invitational, RBC Canadian Open, and T-9th at the U.S. Open.