Although it wasn’t easy, Sam Burns won every match over the five-day tournament to claim his fifth victory on the PGA tour. The biggest win was clearly taking out world number one Scottie Scheffler in the semi-final.
After taking an early lead, Scheffler came back to take a 2-up lead on the 10th hole. But Burns withstood his competitor’s counterattack and managed to level the score by scoring birdies on holes 13 and 15. The match eventually ended all square after 18 holes and went into sudden death. Burns was able to eventually win and secure a spot in the final on the 21st hole.
In the final, Sam’s putter sealed a fast victory over Cam Young. He rolled in a 20-footer on No. 8, a 12-footer on No. 10 and a 24-footer on No. 12. In the final, Burns birdied 8 of the las 10 holes and never gave Cam Young a second to breath.
“My putter was really good today. I’ve been putting it well all week and I knew that if we could just get the ball in position, give ourselves lots of chances, hopefully they would go in.”
Sam Burns
It’s hard to believe he didn’t have the confidence you would expect having totaled 48 birdies for the week. But his recent missed cuts and struggles in 2023 have forced him to work harder on his swing.
“Professional golf is hard. It’s not easy at times and I’ve been really struggling with my golf swing. I just didn’t quite have the command that I wanted. Wasn’t able to hit some of the shots that I usually am able to. So a huge thank you to my coach Brad, he’s just been rock solid and helped me a lot.”
Sam Burns
His performance in Austin is just another reminder when he is on, he can contend and win these bigger championships. Throughout the week, Burns (the 13 seed), beat Seamus Power, Adam Scott, Adam Hadwin, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes, Scottie Scheffler and ultimately Young to finish the tournament with a 7-0 record.
The win earned him $3.5 million and his first victory in the 2023 season.
Final
Sam Burns ($3,500,000) WINS 6 and 5 vs. Cameron Young ($2,200,000)
Consolation
Rory McIlroy ($1,420,000) WINS 2 and 1 vs. Scottie Scheffler ($1,145,000)