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THE HONDA CLASSIC

February 25, 2018

Sam Burns

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Q. You said this was like nothing you've ever experienced. What was it like watching Tiger tee off right next to you and then in a couple moments here, you guys, you said something to him right here.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, that was a really cool day, something I'll always look back on and be thankful it happened. I was fortunate to play a good round of golf and post a good number.

Q. What was your first thought when you saw you were going to be paired with him?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, it's almost like I'm speechless. You see the guy on TV, you see him all over the place and you're standing there next to him on the tee box and you're like, that's Tiger Woods.

We had a blast. He was super nice. Very encouraging. I think we're all happy to see him back playing golf.

Q. Did that help that he was engaging with you a little bit? In the old days he might not have done that?
SAM BURNS: For sure. I was telling the guys earlier, I don't hardly remember hitting the first tee shot. I kind of blacked out. The way he handled the crowds, it's really cool to see.

Q. When those tee times came out and you saw them, was there at least a part of you that went, oh, bleep?
SAM BURNS: I was super excited. I knew it was going to be chaotic with all the people. It's something I always wanted to do since I was a kid. Anybody my age or any age wants to play golf with Tiger Woods, much less Sunday at The Honda Classic. We had a blast and it was really fun.

Q. Was it hard to sleep because there was so much on the line?
SAM BURNS: I actually was pretty tired yesterday. I slept well. I did wake up a little earlier than I expected to and I couldn't go back to sleep after that.

Q. This guy is super, super competitive. Do you think he was a little pissed off to lose to you today?
SAM BURNS: I don't think he was worried about it. I think he's just happy to be healthy, playing golf again and I got to see it firsthand, him enjoying it.

Q. Can you say what Bob Rotella told you?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I mean, Dr. Bob's been great. I've leaned on him a lot. Especially coming into today, I talked to him on the range a good bit, just trying to stay focused. You know going into it, there's going to be people everywhere. There's going to be people screaming.

But the fans were great. They really were. Just try to hit golf shots, have a game plan and stick to it, not drift away from it.

Q. How did that atmosphere today compare to anything?
SAM BURNS: It can't compare, for me, at least. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and like I said, it's something that I'll always be glad that happened and will always be able to tell stories.

Q. Can you imagine him dealing with that every time he plays?
SAM BURNS: It's tough. It's unfortunate really for him. For me it's another round of golf out there. But with Tiger, it's every time he tees it up, it's got to wear on him a little bit, but he really does a great job with it all.

Q. What did you think about clipping him by a couple shots?
SAM BURNS: I just try to play good rounds. The conditions have been tough all week. I think everybody kind of knew that at the start of the tournament. Just try to stick to a game plan and play well.

Q. What will you tell your former teammates at LSU?
SAM BURNS: I don't know. First off, to go bogey-free out here, it's a tough task. I think this is a championship golf course. I think everybody else would agree with me on that.

Yeah, I think I drove it a little bit better today. Hit some good iron shots. Missed a couple putts. Feel like I hit good putts. But yeah, to do it next to Tiger was really cool. I didn't want to go out there and shoot 80. But yeah, it was a fun day.

Q. How big is it to get another PGA TOUR start because of this in two weeks?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, it's huge. Any start you can get out here helps. And another thing that helps is having a sponsor exemption, which is nice. I'm looking forward to getting down to Tampa and teeing it up again.

Q. Do you sort of have a goal to try to get your card that way? Is that even on your mind at all?
SAM BURNS: I'm just going to try to go out there and do the same thing I did this week and just get ready to play another golf tournament.

If it happens that way, great. If it doesn't, hopefully it will happen another way.

Q. You said you didn't even remember hitting the first tee shot?
SAM BURNS: No. I really don't remember. I really don't. I don't even remember feeling the club in my hands. It was like everything was numb. But thank gosh, that was the first time I hit that fairway all week, too.

Q. And when did you get feeling back in your hand?
SAM BURNS: I told my caddie on 3, I felt like I was kind of settling into the round a little bit.

Q. Was there any particular question that you asked him that stays in your mind now?
SAM BURNS: That I asked Tiger nothing really. We just kind of talked small talk. I asked him a little bit how he likes to fish, spearfishing. I asked him about that and that's about it.

Q. Was that the first time you ever spoke to him on the first tee?
SAM BURNS: Yes.

Q. And then were you surprised that he came up to you and you had a conversation right there on the first fairway?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think I kind of wanted to break the ice a little bit, kind of get settled as quickly as possible. So that was kind of the plan.

Q. Did he initiate that or did you?
SAM BURNS: I kind of said something to him and it kept on going.

Q. When did you start feeling butterflies that weren't normal?
SAM BURNS: Probably on the first tee. Kind of knew it was about to start. Didn't really hit me that I was playing with him until we got up there and we were about to get going.

Q. How many text messages did you get about playing with him before the round?
SAM BURNS: I had not really looked a whole lot yet. I'm sure it's a lot. But I'm glad I could tell some stories.

Q. How many text messages do you have on your phone right now?
SAM BURNS: 448.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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