By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
NEWTON SQUARE, Pa. – Sam Burns made another run at the lead in a major championship on Saturday at the PGA Championship but couldn’t sustain the surge, and finished at even par for the tournament Sunday in a tie for 26th in golf’s second major of the year.
The Choudrant resident rang up four straight birdies in the middle of the back nine early Saturday afternoon and charged to 5-under-par on the day, 3-under for the tournament, one shot off the pace going to the 17th tee.
The birdie string on holes 13-16 was highlighted by putts of 12 and 23 feet on 14 and 15, then an excellent pitch from a sand trap 57 feet from the pin to three feet for the fourth birdie in a row.
But the 17th was a stumbling block for Burns three times in his four rounds at Aronimink Golf Club. The par-3 was the fifth toughest hole of the week and Burns bogied it in all but Round 2.
He wrapped up with another bogey at the 18th and settled for a very commendable 3-under 67. That left him five shots behind the lead entering the final round, and he wasn’t able to move into contention on Sunday.
Burns, 29, finished with a 1-over 71. He double bogeyed the fourth hole but recovered with birdies on the sixth and ninth to head into the back nine even for the day. A bogey on 10th was balanced by a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th from 57 feet, but the 17th bit Burns again, with a rare three-putt.
The Shreveport native, a two-time All-American at LSU, opened with rounds of 70-72 to comfortably make the cut in his eighth consecutive major championship.
His 26th place tie earned a $125,523 paycheck. Englishman Aaron Rai won a $3.7 million winner’s purse by shooting 9-under par with a closing 5-under 65.
Burns, who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, will take a week’s break and is expected to tee it up again in Fort Worth at storied Colonial Country Club May 28-31, where he won the 2022 event at 9-under after taking a playoff with Scottie Scheffler.
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Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com
