By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sam Burns has learned while playing under the radar at Augusta National.
He put his knowledge to good use Thursday, going out in the early wave, grabbing the lead and finishing in a first-round 5-under par tie with defending champion Rory McIlroy at the Masters.
Burns shot his best round in Augusta, a 67, as he found 11 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens and made six birdies. He quickly climbed atop the leaderboard with an eagle 3 on the par-5 second hole, and sits atop a star-studded field entering today’s second round.
The Choudrant resident, 29, tees off at 11:27 CT today. His previous Masters’ best score, an opening 68 in 2023, earned him a first-round tie for sixth that year and was the only prior sub-70 competitive round on one of golf’s most iconic layouts.
But he has filed away plenty of insight from his previous four visits to Augusta National, where he has played 12 competitive rounds, finishing 29th in 2023 and 45th last year sandwiched around two missed cuts in 2022 and 2024.
Along with his driving accuracy, Burns credited his willingness to be patient as key components in Thursday’s round.
“I think patience is something that you constantly have to work on,” he said. “You know, especially as someone who likes to compete and try to win, which unfortunately doesn’t happen a lot, I think patience plays a big part of not just golf, but life.
“We’re constantly inconvenienced by something, and so trying to be more patient is good for all of us, especially for me.”
He pounced on the longest holes, and added a birdie on the fabled par-3 12th hole in Amen Corner, to rise to the top of the leaderboard.
Burns drained a four-foot eagle putt on the par-5 second hole. After dropping a shot on the seventh, he regained it with a birdie on the par-5 eighth. Burns also birdied both par-5s on the back nine and added another with a birdie on the dangerous 12th, dropping a 20-footer.
“I think historically people who have success here play the par-5s really well, and we were able to do that today. So, it’s a good recipe around this golf course,” Burns said.
It’s his third lead/co-lead after a round in the last eight major rounds. He was also leading after the second and third rounds of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he ended up tied for seventh after a final-round 78 in drenching rain. The weather won’t be a factor this weekend.
“The past few years we’ve gotten rain at some point in the week, early in the week,” Burns said. “You could definitely see it even from Monday to today how much firmer the greens are. They’re only going to get firmer. I think as the golf course speeds up, it only gets more difficult out there, and I think it’s going to be a really good test.”
TV coverage today and Friday is on Golf Channel “Live from The Masters” from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., with Prime Video providing streaming tournament coverage from noon-2 and ESPN from 2-6:30. Extensive coverage is available at Masters.com.
Weekend coverage is CBS-based. Paramount+ has coverage Saturday and Sunday 11-1, with CBS coming on air from 1 p.m. forward.
