By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Sam Burns is on his game.
He shares the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open after an opening 6-under-par 64, after battling for the win into the final hole last week at The Memorial, finishing in fourth.
The 29-year-old Shreveport native, a Calvary Baptist graduate, was firing at the flags all afternoon at TPC Toronto and needed just 27 feet of putts, while his ball striking was almost flawless. He found 12 of 14 fairways and hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
Thursday’s afternoon tee time gets swapped for an early start today: at 6:44 a.m. CT with Wyndham Clark and Kristoffer Reitan — who have wins on Tour over the last six weeks.
“The morning has different challenges. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily easier or harder,” Burns said. “Typically, in the morning there’s moisture on the golf ball, which is a different challenge in itself. The golf course plays a little bit longer. The rough is thicker usually just with the moisture. Sometimes it can play easier, sometimes more difficult.”
A morning rain Thursday made the course demanding more from the short game, which plays into Burns’ strength. The PGA Tour’s putting leader last season, Burns ranks fourth this season.
“There’s always a few kind of key putts you have throughout a round, whether it’s to keep the momentum going or save a shot here or there,” he said in a media session afterward.
He is atop the leader board with Brooks Koepka, Eric Cole, Sahith Theegala, and Emiliano Grillo beginning today’s second round, which will be covered on Golf Channel in the afternoon. Burns’ round today will be available at ESPN+. Weekend TV coverage is split between Golf Channel (noon-2 p.m.) followed by CBS.
Burns nearly won on this course last year, falling in a four-hole playoff to Ryan Fox. A week later, he held the U.S. Open lead through most of the final two rounds and into the back nine on a rain-soaked Sunday.
He began Thursday’s round with three birdies on the first six holes. He carded five birdies on the back nine, overcoming one bogey on each side.
The Choudrant resident, about to turn 30 and welcome he and wife Caroline’s second child next month, downplayed an affinity for the course based on his play a year ago and Thursday.
“At the end of the day, regardless of where you’re playing, I think you just have to go execute,” Burns said. “It’s nice to have some good memories maybe before the tournament starts, but you know, when you tee it up, you have to be able to execute and hit the shots that the golf course requires.”
The former two-time LSU All-American, who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, said his playoff loss to Fox wasn’t on his mind.
“Honestly for me, there wasn’t really any negative,” Burns said. “I started the day pretty far back and played a really good round of golf and was able to sneak into a playoff. I had a chance to hole that putt (a 5-footer to win) and didn’t, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. So I really just kind of took the positives. I feel like my game was in a good spot, and try to do the same again this year.”