Burns finishes torrid PGA Tour run with a flourish, settles in back home
JOURNAL SPORTS
It wasn’t Sam Burns’ last shot in the final round of The Travelers Sunday afternoon, but it was a fitting way to finish his latest PGA Tour road trip.
Burns holed out from 130 yards for an eagle 2 on the par-4 14th hole Sunday to highlight his fourth round in the 60s at the tournament, which wrapped up Monday morning when Victor Hovland birdied the first playoff hole and beat Scottie Scheffler for the win.
Burns shot three rounds of 66 and finished with a 67 to post a 15-under par total, good for a 12th place tie and a $440,000 payday. He has eight rounds in the 60s in his last 12 outings.
That has kept him among the leaders in each event. Twice, at The Memorial and the U.S. Open, he was in position to win, finishing in a fourth place tie at The Memorial after sharing the lead on the 17th tee, and finishing runner up at the Open when his birdie putt on the 18th grazed the right edge of the cup but did not drop from 22 feet.
He has soared to eighth in FedEx Cup standings, and is up to 15th in the Official World Golf Rankings. He stands sixth in the U.S. President’s Cup rankings (12 make the team), in good position for his fifth straight annual international match play event representing the USA.
He has won $6.4 million in official purse money this season, upping his career total since 2019 to $41.4 million.
But as hot as he is, after playing in four consecutive events, the almost 30-year-old Shreveport native is taking a break. He’s home in Choudrant, and he may not leave for a while.
Although he’s scheduled to play in two weeks at the Genesis Scottish Open as a warmup for the British Open, his wife Caroline is about to give birth to the couple’s second child. She’s due in mid-July.
It’s very possible that the Travelers will be Burns’ last competition for a few weeks.
The FedEx Cup playoffs begin Aug. 13 at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis.