JOURNAL SPORTS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Sam Burns saved his best for last in Sunday’s final round of golf’s second major of 2025, the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Burns, a Choudrant resident who plays out of Squire Creek Country Club, soared 30th places to a tie for 19th – his third career top 20 finish in 17 starts in a major championship – with a closing 4-under par 67 that was the second-lowest score in the fourth round.
He collected $193,442 to bump his official career winnings on the PGA Tour to just $12,000 shy of $30 million — $29,988,948 since the 28-year-old Shreveport native and two-time LSU All-American turned pro in 2019.
Burns shot 31 on the front nine, opening with consecutive birdies on the first two holes, then scoring an eagle 3 on the par-5 7th and getting another birdie on the next hole to get to 5-under for the day. He stumbled to a bogey on No. 9, then shot even-par 36 on the challenging back side, getting a birdie 3 on the 14th and a bogey 5 out of a fairway bunker at the 16th.
“If you can get off to a good start, it definitely helps around here. You’ve got to take advantage of those holes,” said Burns. “Unfortunately I missed a birdie chance at 10, but I got some good looks late. Once you reach 16, 17, 18, it’s just tough.”
Burns came in ranked as the best putter on the Tour and was No. 1 in the championship in strokes gained putting (1.068). Sunday, he gained over 4 strokes on the field.
He made the Friday cut on the number, at 73-70 (1-over) and shot a 1-over 72 Saturday. Sunday’s finish was his sixth top 25 in 14 starts this season.
Burns spent the week, as usual, sharing a private home with tournament champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who ran away from the field with a winning 11-under par score for his third major title.
The Tour’s next stop is in Fort Worth, where Burns won at storied Colonial Country Club over Scheffler in a 2022 playoff after carding a 5-under 65 in windy conditions to charge into a tie for the lead. It was among three tournament titles won in Burns’ breakout season on Tour. He has five titles.
