A few minutes before United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley called Sam Burns’ name Wednesday morning as the sixth and final captain’s choice pick for the USA roster in the Sept. 26-28 international competition, Cameron Young did.
That inadvertent slip from the fourth player announced by Bradley strongly hinted Burns was on the team.
“Cameron Young just gave away Sam Burns being a pick,” posted Hugh Kellenberger of The Athletic on that publication’s live chat as Bradley methodically went through his selections live on Golf Channel. Responding to a question, Young said, “… and teammates like Sam …” and the cat was climbing out of the bag.
Despite getting a call, presumably Monday (posted Wednesday on the Ryder Cup USA Facebook page), from Bradley – who said Wednesday morning his team was set 48 hours earlier – the emotion was apparent. Burns’ voice wavered as he began to respond to the opening query from the program moderator.
“Being on these teams is one of the highest honors you can achieve in this sport. I’m so privileged and honored to be part of this team,” said the 29-year-old Shreveport native and Calvary Baptist Academy graduate from his home in Choudrant, where he plays out of Squire Creek Country Club.
Burns was 16th on the USA’s Ryder Cup points rankings and was among roughly 10 players thought to be in the mix for the six captain’s choices – including Bradley, who stood 11th on the points list but decided not to be a playing captain – a decision that may have left open the slot Burns filled.
Moments after announcing the former two-time LSU All-American and 2016 major college player of the year’s spot on the roster, Bradley referenced the intensity that Burns carries — and flashed in his initial comment Wednesday.
“Sam is an incredibly passionate golfer. He is the best putter on the planet. He has won the Match Play championship. He has an extreme competitive fire in his belly. I have a lot of respect for Sam and the way that he came on at the end of the season to make this team. His back was against the wall and he played well every week. That’s some of the hardest times to play good golf, trying to make these Ryder Cup teams, and Sam did that.
“We really wanted to see how these guys handled the pressure of making this team, and they all shined brightly at the end of the season … playing high level golf on the biggest stage, with the Ryder Cup on the line. Ultimately that was the decision-maker on who made the team,” said Bradley.
The USA aims to defend home turf at Bethpage Black on Long Island, N.Y., and take the Ryder Cup away from the Europeans, who won convincingly two years ago in Rome.
As Bradley explained what he and his vice captains were looking for in the six picks to go with the six automatic qualifiers on the USA’s Ryder Cup points system, it was clear Burns was an ideal fit – considering the three-week FedEx Cup playoff run Burns staged (tied for fourth two weeks ago at the BMW Championship, tied for 7th last weekend at the Tour Championship, while posting 68 or lower in each of his last 10 rounds in the playoffs) coupled with his two days of leading the U.S. Open and an eighth-place there, one of his six top 10s this season.
Burns tops the PGA Tour with a .924 strokes gained putting rate, is fourth in putts per round (28.0) and 19th in birdie conversion rate (34.2 percent). He stands second on tour with 377 birdies in 24 starts this season and averages a solid 307.4 yards off the tee.
“We wanted guys who we knew could handle the moment,” said Bradley. “There’s Ryder Cups, and there’s Ryder Cups at Bethpage. We needed guys who were winners, who were up there in majors, that have won majors, and ultimately guys that we felt fit the golf course – very long, very difficult. Most of these guys are incredible putters.
“We’d love to have Sam on our side with that putter at Bethpage. I can’t wait to see him out there with those fans. (He) plays with his heart on his sleeve, and people at Bethpage are going to love that.”
Making his second Ryder Cup appearance and fourth consecutive USA roster for international competition (wins in the 2022 and 2024 Presidents Cup), Burns is relishing playing in front of boisterous New Yorkers.
“It’s going to be an incredible week. I know we’re going to have tons of support at Bethpage. These fans are special, and they love getting behind their teams, behind their country, and I know having their support will spur us on and hopefully we can rally behind that energy and use it to our advantage,” he said.
The other players chosen by Bradley and announced Wednesday were Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Patrick Cantlay and Young. The automatic selections confirmed two Sundays ago were world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Bryson DeChambeau, and Harris English.
Burns went 1-2 in the 2023 Ryder Cup and was 3-0-1 last year in Canada at the Presidents Cup.
Bradley said Burns and the other USA players (except for DeChambeau, who is ineligible because he plays on the LIV Golf circuit) will be in the PGA Tour’s first fall event, the Procore Championship Sept. 11-14 in Napa, California, to avoid a monthlong competitive break before the Ryder Cup.
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