By DOUG IRELAND Journal Sports
ATLANTA – Sam Burns’ superior summer-long performance has him standing eighth in the field of 30 finalists teeing off today in the $40 million Tour Championship, the final event of the 2026 PGA Tour season.
The two-time LSU All-American hits off the first tee at 12:24 paired with Collin Morikawa. Golf Channel will have live coverage of their round.
His last three outings in this event, at East Lake Golf Club, are more reason golf analysts are elevating him into the contenders’ group for the $10 million winner’s purse. SportsLine’s computer program ranks him as the player to beat and he is teeing off with +1500 odds.
Burns tied for seventh last year, was 12th in 2024 and ninth in 2023. This will be his sixth straight Tour Championship, reserved for the top 30 finishers in the season-long FedEx Cup points race.
But after a terrific eight-event run, the most recent outing last week by the 30-year-old was mediocre, especially by his standards. Burns finished 28th in the 50-player BMW Championship, but was already assured of reaching this week’s ultimate event due to his exceptional play since early May and his career-best overall season.
The Shreveport native, now a resident of Choudrant, had an eight-event run with six top 20 finishes, including four top fives in a six-tournament span from June 7 (fourth at The Memorial) to Aug. 16 (third at the FedEx St. Jude Championship). He was second at the U.S. Open and third at the British Open after a seventh-place finish at The Masters in April.
All 30 players this week have earned a two-year PGA Tour exemption and entry into next season’s signature events, including all four major championships.
Friday’s coverage begins at 10 a.m. on ESPN, through noon, and shifts to Golf Channel. Weekend TV begins at noon on Golf Channel with CBS picking up tournament action at 2 Saturday and Sunday.
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