By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Former LSU All-America golfer Sam Burns returns to competition this morning after a two-week break from playing on the PGA Tour, beginning a three-week stretch that was the most impressive of his 2025 season.
Burns, 29, tees off at 8:40 CDT today in Dublin, Ohio, in Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial. He is paired with Akshay Bhatia in the first two rounds in the tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, designed and constantly tweaked by the Golden Bear.
Last year, after a two-week break following the PGA Championship, Burns tied for 12th at even par in The Memorial, then lost in a playoff at the Canadian Open and again had the final round lead a week later at the U.S. Open, tying for seventh.
He’ll follow the same schedule this year with the two national opens on the horizon over the following two weeks.
Burns, a Shreveport native who lives in Choudrant and plays out of Squire Creek Country Club there, has three straight top 20 finishes at The Memorial (16th in 2023, 15th in 2024 and 12th last year)
While winning two All-America honors at LSU, the Calvary Baptist Academy graduate was the 2017 recipient of the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top player in major college golf.
Burns has made the cut in nine of his 12 starts this year and has two top finishes, including seventh at The Masters. He was 4-under and one shot off the lead in his last outing, on the back nine of the third round at the PGA Championship, and wound up tied for 26th at even par.
Interviewed on the PGA Tour’s “The Drop” program, Burns gave himself a C+ for his 2026 season.
“I’ve played nice some weeks, put myself right there, but I haven’t quite been able to get it done yet,” he said. “My game’s trending, I feel healthy, and I’m excited for the second half of the year.”
He is tied for sixth on the Tour in strokes gained putting, and 15th in shooting under par at in a quarter of his rounds this season. Burns is 34th in the Official World Golf Rankings and 50th in FedEx Cup points, and has earned $2.5 million on tour this year.
The Memorial will have streaming coverage today and Friday from 7:45 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+, with Golf Channel providing TV coverage from 1-5 both afternoons.
Viewers this weekend can watch streaming on ESPN+ from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with TV coverage on Golf Channel from 11:30-1:30, then shifting to CBS until 5 p.m. or completion of play.