Too hot to not: With newborn back home, Burns will play in British Open
By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The Sam Burns family is a foursome now, so Dad has gone back to work.
Wife Caroline has given birth to the couple’s second child, according to media reports, and Burns has flown to England for the British Open. He played the back nine of Royal Birkdale Monday to prepare for the season’s final major.
He has recently been among the top players in golf, notably finishing runner-up at the U.S. Open in mid-June after tying for seventh at The Masters in April. He has five top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, and is 18th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 10th in FedEx Cup standings.
The Choudrant resident was one shot off the lead in the third round at Augusta, shared the lead on the 17th tee and ultimately finished in a fourth-place tie at The Memorial, and battled for first down to his last putt at Shinnecock Hills last month, missing a playoff when his 22-foot birdie putt on the closing hole slid outside the right edge of the cup.
The Shreveport native, who turns 30 on July 23, also led the U.S. Open for much of the final three days last summer and finished tied for seventh.
Burns did not play in last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, a signature event that typically serves as a warmup for The Open Championship. In the aftermath of his near-miss at the U.S. Open, his mother told a reporter from The Athletic that her son wouldn’t travel overseas due to the impending arrival of the newborn expected in mid-July.
He didn’t confirm that, simply noting his wife was near her due date, but despite withdrawing from the Scottish Open, didn’t WD for this week’s tournament and when the field was set Monday, he was on the pairings sheet.
Burns, a Calvary Baptist Academy graduate and former two-time LSU All-American, has an 8:31 CDT tee time Thursday with Chris Gotterup and Adam Scott.
While his best finish at the Open Championship is a 31st place tie at Royal Troon in 2024, Burns was briefly within one shot of the lead in that event in the third round. He played exceptionally well on the links-style course at Shinnecock Hills a month ago.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com