Sam Burns makes PGA Tour Barbasol Championship Cut
Sam Burns is 3-under after the first round
(Golfweek Photo)
OPELIKA, AL (July 21, 2017) -
Sam Burns showed he could play on the PGA Tour with a first round 3-under 68 and then he proved it again on Friday firing a 5-under 66 to reach 8-under after two rounds at the Barbasol Championship hosted by the the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National, Lake Course.
In the second round Burns got off to a quick start with three birdies in a row on Nos. 2-4 and then he added another on the 9th to turn in 4-under 31. On the second nine Burns continued to go low as he added birdies on the 11th and 15th holes before giving his only shot of the day on the 17th.
Burns will begin the third round seven shots behind leader Chad Collins who fired an 11-under 60 on Friday to post 15-under.
S.M. Lee, a a sophomore at Dalton State, was in position to make the cut following a day one 3-under 68 but he slid back to 1-under with a second round 2-over 73 to miss the cut.
Auburn junior Trace Crowe was in the field as well and he missed the cut after rounds of 79-71. In the second round Crowe birdied twice and bogeyed twice.
ROUND ONE RECAP
Sam Burns isn't turning professional until September but on Thursday at the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship the former LSU star showed he can compete on the big tour.
Burns, one of three amateurs in the field, opened his week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National, Lake Course with a 3-under 68 that puts him just three shots off the lead.
Playing in the morning wave, Burns who won the Barbasol Shootout to get into the tournament, got off to an unsteady start with two birdies and two bogeys in his first six holes. However, the bogey on the 6th proved to be his final dropped shot of the round as he moved into red figures for good with a 9th hole birdie before carding circles on Nos. 11 and 18 to finish 3-under.
Burns, the fifth ranked player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Rankings, announced shortly after his sophomore campaign at LSU came to a close that he was planning on turning professional following what he hopes is a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team in September. During his two years at LSU, Burns made his mark winning four-times and earning among other awards the 2017 NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year award.
Besides Burns the other amateurs in the field are S.M. Lee, a sophomore at Dalton State and Auburn junior Trace Crowe.
Of course to this point Burns is the most decorated amateur in the field but the low amateur thus far is Lee. With play suspended due to darkness Lee is 4-under after 14 holes.
Starting on the second nine Lee birdied the 15th and 16th holes to turn in 2-under 34. Looking to keep the momentum going on the second nine Lee birdied the 1st before giving the stroke back on the 2nd hole.
Despite the bogey Lee was unfazed as he regained his form with two pars and then an eagle on the par-5 5th just before play was called for the day due to darkness.
Following the resumption of play on Friday morning Lee birdied the 6th hole to reach 5-under before giving a pair of shots back with a closing double-bogey that resulted in Lee signing for a 3-under 68.
The final amateur in the field, Crowe struggled in the first round carding an 8-over 79. Crowe struggled out of that gates with an 8-over 43 and he dropped to 9-over with a bogey on No. 11 before carding his lone birdie of the day on the 17th.
Thanks to the 17th hole birdie Crowe was able to play the second nine in even-par 71.