By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
TROON, Scotland – Weekend play at the British Open was the best of times for former two-time LSU All-American Sam Burns, and then, the worst of times.
Burns, a Shreveport native who now lives in Choudrant in Lincoln Parish and plays out of Squire Creek Country Club, rocketed up the leaderboard Saturday with a sizzling 7-under round of 65. That vaulted him into a second-place tie at 3-under, one off the lead, entering the final round.
But it was Sunday on the struggle bus for Burns, who was up and down on the front nine, considered the “gettable” side on the Royal Troon course, before he ran into big trouble on the back nine. He made the turn at one-over for the day, then bogeyed the next three, carding a double-bogey 6 on No. 11 and taking a disastrous triple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole, with wild drives each time.
He consequently finished with the worst score, a nine-over 80 (along with Tom Hoge and Alex Cejka), in the 80-man field on Sunday.
He tumbled all the way to a 10-way tie for 31st place at six-over-par. He and nine others, including former major championship winners Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, earned $90,220 for their efforts.
It was, however, the 27-year-old’s best finish in the Open Championship, and his first time in a major that he entered the final round on the cusp of the lead. It came on the heels of a ninth-place at the U.S. Open last month that was his first career top 10 in a major championship.
Amid the bitter disappointment, Burns did impress at least one member of the rugged British media with a simple gesture after the round.
Like his close friend, Masters’ champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Burns declined media interviews after finishing. Scheffler, the favorite in every tournament he enters in 2024, finished seventh but never challenged for the lead with a 1-over 72 on Sunday, carding a double bogey on the final hole.
Heading to his car, likely to join fellow new father Scheffler on their flight home, Burns was approached by a tournament volunteer who asked him to sign a ball. Instead of ducking his head and continuing on, Burns graciously stopped and met the volunteer’s request.
Burns started the Open Championship badly, seven-over after the first 11 holes on Thursday, and rallied slightly that day to finish with a five-over 76. He shot 69 Friday to climb into the top 30, and had Saturday’s low score to get to the verge of the lead after 54 holes.
American Xander Schauffele took home the prized Claret Jug with a nine-under total, shooting 65 Sunday. It was his second major win after taking the PGA Championship in May.
This is the first time since 1982 that all four of golf’s majors have been captured by American golfers – Scheffler with the Masters and Bryson DeChambeau taking the U.S. Open.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com