By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Shreveport native Sam Burns is so relaxed in the run-up to the 45th Ryder Cup that he gave away his 9-iron to a spectator Wednesday.
Granted, it was on the practice range. It was given to a 9-year-old boy in the gallery. And it was reportedly a duplicate club, as he was apparently handed a Callaway Apex TCB 9-iron a few minutes earlier
But it was a heartwarming scene: https://www.rydercup.com/news-media/after-warming-up-at-the-ryder-cup-sam-burns-gives-his-9-iron-to-a-lucky-young-fan
The moment reflected the fact that Burns, 29, is no novice when it comes to representing the USA in international golf competition. This weekend’s Ryder Cup will be his fourth straight, following President’s Cup appearances in 2022 and 2024 for winning USA teams, and the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome that did not go well for the Americans.
His first international team action came in the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup while Burns was still a Calvary Baptist student. He helped the USA roll to a 16-8 victory, going 2-0-1 in Scotland. He also played for the winning USA team in the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup, the 21st edition of a contest between college golfers from America and Europe. He was the USA’s top-ranked player as an All-American at LSU.
In Presidents’ Cup play (vs. an international team) Burns has a two-year mark of 3-3-3, but was credited as being perhaps America’s second best player while going 0-3-1 in 2022 because he was partnered with a struggling Scottie Scheffler. Burns went 1-2-0 in the 2023 Ryder Cup, notably playing with U-S-A cut into the side of his scalp.
The 2025 Ryder Cup tees off Friday morning with four foursomes matches (alternate shots) followed by four four-ball competitions in the afternoon. The same rotation is set for Saturday with 12 singles matches Sunday to settle the score, with the USA needing 14 ½ points to snag the cup from Europe at Bethpage Black outside of New York City.
The opening ceremony was moved up to Wednesday afternoon due to forecasts for steady rain today into Friday morning. However, the announcement of Friday’s match pairings will still be made today, at 3 p.m. CT on Golf Channel.
Burns has posted three straight top 15 finishes in PGA Tour events heading into the Ryder Cup. He was a captain’s pick for the second straight time and third consecutive among his four international competitions as a pro.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com