Sam Burns has never shot 59, but this week he came very close to joining that exclusive club twice.
Burns shot a pre-tournament warm-up score of 60 on Tuesday at The Madison Club, a nearby La Quinta club. In the second round at PGA WEST’s Nicklaus Tournament Course, Burns recorded a career-best 61. At The American Express, he leads alone after 36 holes at 17 under.
Even if Burns just gets credit for one of the rounds, that will be enough.
“It doesn’t matter because Tuesday was from the up tees.” he said.
The round on Friday definitely does. It was the lowest score of the week and tied for the lowest score ever recorded at the Nicklaus Tournament Course in the history of the competition. Burns also shot to the lead by himself. It surpasses a third-round 62 at the 2023 BMW Championship to become his best round of the season on the PGA TOUR.
Coming out with a victory at The American Express would extend his tournament streak to four seasons with at least one PGA tour win. Last year, he achieved career-high earnings of $7.14 million and a ninth-place FedEx Cup finish. With four prior starts at The American Express, Burns has 3 top-20 finishes. In 2020, he finished T6 after firing a final-round 63. Up until Friday, that was his greatest score.
“Since everyone is obviously putting up some impressive numbers, all I’m trying to do is stay on pace, hit as many nice shots, and draw as many attention as I can. It all comes down to making some crucial putts, in my opinion, because the greens at Stadium, La Quinta Country Club, and the Nicklaus Tournament are particularly fantastic.”
Not everything went according to plan for Burns, who upon sinking his final putt removed his hat and unintentionally showed the TV viewers the “RTR” shaved into the side of his skull. The Louisiana native and LSU graduate Justin Thomas, a fellow professional and product of Alabama, lost a wager, and as a result, he went viral with a photo on social media to celebrate his victory. This led to the creation of the acronym “Roll Tide Roll.”
Following pars on the opening 3 holes, an eagle on the 4th par-5 kicked off the round. Burns drilled the putt for eagle on the 4th hole after sticking his approach to within 15 feet. He turned in a 5-under-31 round after making birdies on Nos. 5, 6, and 7. His back nine was similarly ignited by an eagle.
Burns birdied the 10th hole, then misjudged his approach on the par-5 11th, leaving him with an eagle putt of three feet. He then opened up a chance at 59 by birdieing the next 4 holes (Nos. 13–16), the longest run of his career.
According to Burns, that was the first time he had considered shooting sub-60. However, he only made par on the 17th hole, missing a 30-foot birdie putt. Burns, in need of a hole-out on the final hole, dragged his wedge approach and two-putted to shoot 61.
All in all, it was a really good day. “I made some putts and hit a lot of good shots,” stated Burns, who placed T33 at The Sentry in his season opener.
Over the weekend, Burns felt his game click, flying into California early to practice with swing instructor Brad Pullin. He now has the matching outcomes.
