Sam Burns sits T6 at 13-under after three rounds
(oanow.com photo)
OPELIKA, AL (July 23, 2017) - Former LSU standout
Sam Burns of Shreveport, LA fired a third consecutive 5-under 66 to finish 18-under and tied for sixth at the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship.
Beginning the final round six shots back Burns, who turned 21-years-old on Sunday, made a bit of a charge before ultimately finishing three shots behind winner Grayson Murray, 21-under.
On the front nine Burns birdied twice, on Nos. 4 and 7, to turn in 2-under 33 and at 15-under for the tournament. Trying to make a move on the final nine, Burns tallied birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 to reach 18-under but a bogey on the 17th all but foiled his chances of becoming the first amateur winner on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991 at the Northern Telecom Open.
However, despite the disappointing bogey Burns bounced back on the last with a closing birdie from just outside eight-feet.
The shared sixth finish for Burns was the second best showing by an amateur on the PGA Tour this year, second only to Braden Thornberry who
tied for fourth at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Best Finishes by an Amateur on the PGA Tour, 2017
T4,
Braden Thornberry, FedEx St. Jude Classic, Memphis, TN
T6,
Sam Burns, Barbasol Championship, Auburn, AL
T27,
Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open, Erin, WI
T29,
Joaquin Niemann, Greenbrier Classic, White Sulphur Springs, WV
T32,
Cameron Champ, U.S. Open, Erin, WI
T36,
Stewart Hagestad, The Masters, Augusta, GA
T44,
Maverick McNealy, John Deere Classic, Silvis, IL
T46,
Curtis Luck, The Masters, Augusta, GA
T49,
Sahith Theegala, Genesis Open, Los Angeles, CA
T55,
Nick Hardy, John Deere Classic, Silvis, IL
T62,
Alfie Plant, British Open, Southport, England
ROUND THREE RECAP
Sam Burns shot a second consecutive six-under 66 Saturday to move up the leaderboard at the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship.
Related: Sam Burns makes PGA Tour Barbasol Championship Cut
Burns once again demonstrated that he has the game to compete with PGA Tour pros, racking up six birdies against a lone bogey to get to 13 under par for three rounds.
Burns turns 21 on Sunday, the day of the final round, and while he'd no doubt like to give himself a win as a birthday present, he doesn't want to focus on it.
“I don’t have any expectations or goals,” Burns told the Shreveport Times ahead of Sunday’s final round. “I just want to keep playing aggressive, but not force anything – I’ve done a good job of that over the first three days.”
Winning a PGA Tour event as an amateur is always a tall task, especially this week with three-time Tour winner Scott Stallings in the lead, six shots ahead of Burns.
But perhaps with a good final round Burns can challenge Braden Thornberry of Olive Branch, MS for the best finish by an amateur in a PGA Tour event this year. Thornberry finished in a tie for fourth at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis last month.
Either way, Burns is taking tremendous confidence his performance this week.
“Playing the weekend was confirmation my game is in good shape,” Burns told The Times. “I’m hitting the ball really well. This shows (coach) Brad (Pullin) and I are working on the right things in my game.”
Burns will play in the third-to-last group on Sunday with tour pros Cameron Percy and Shawn Stefani.