Sam Burns Makes Masters Debut

Former LSU golfer Sam Burns, currently ranked 11th in the world by the World Golf Ranking, makes his Masters debut thanks to winning the 2021 Valspar Championship (he also won this year’s Valspar).

“I’m really excited to be here,” Burns said Tuesday. “This is such a special place. Obviously, just the history of this place and The Masters tournament. I’m really grateful for this opportunity.

“I came in about a month ago to kind of just see this course. I came with my dad which was special. We were both blown away by the property in general. It feels so big. It’s a moment for me I’ll never forget.”

Burns will be paired with Abraham Ancer and Tyrrell Hatton today and tomorrow (teeing off at 12:19 P.M. Thursday, and on 9:01 A.M. Friday) and then will hopefully make it to the weekend. The field consists of 91 golfers and will be trimmed down to 50 after Friday.

Burns has three wins on the PGA Tour, all coming within the past year: the two Valspars and the 2021 Sanderson Farms Championship. For his career he’s finished in the top-10 19 different times, with seven top-10s coming this year. Burns is currently ranked second in the FedEX Cup Standings.

In his two years at LSU, Burns collected a plethora of honors especially as a sophomore. In 2017 Burns was the Division 1 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year, the SEC Player of the Year, and an All-American and All-SEC selection.