VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

May 1, 2021

Sam Burns

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Quick start, indifferent finish. How would you characterize round three here?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think I played really well. I got off to a great start. I thought I hit a really good tee shot on 16, it just snuck through the fairway there and just not really a good spot.

And then 18, I thought that ball was in the fairway. I think it just kicked dead left and then into a bad lie in the bunker and then it plugged on the next one. So I would have taken 5 after seeing where that plugged bunker shot was. So overall I think I played solid.

Q. How do you put that finish behind you and as you said take away the positives moving into tomorrow?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I mean, I can't change anything from today, so tomorrow will be a fresh start and we'll try to work our process and just go out there and try to take care of business.

Q. What have you seen from the first three days out here for you that you really need to take care of and keep building on?

SAM BURNS: Well I think the golf course is changing quickly. I think you could see it when we started the back nine, just the greens completely changed, a lot more bounce to them, they quickened up a little bit there, especially when the wind blew a little. So I think just managing the ball around the golf course, putting it in the right spots will be important tomorrow.

Q. What did you hit on 1 for a second shot?

SAM BURNS: Hybrid.

Q. In what ways you do you feel better equipped going into tomorrow than maybe you did in Houston or L.A.?

SAM BURNS: None, really. I'm just going to go out there and try to stick to our game plan and see what happens.

Q. What did you learn from I guess failure in L.A.?

SAM BURNS: Well, I wouldn't really say that was a failure. For me personally I think every opportunity is something you can learn from and so I think for me it's not a matter of winning or losing, it's a matter of going out there and seeing what the golf course is going to teach me that day, see what golf is going to teach me that day.

So I think for me it's just taking a little more time in those moments and really talk through the shot and really have a clear plan of what I'm trying to do.

Q. How good were you feeling there early in the going in your round?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I got off to a great start. That shot in there on 1 was kind of a bonus, just kind of trying to get that ball back there where Keegan was and fortunately ended up perfect. So, yeah, got off to a good start and I think the golf course changed pretty drastically as we made the back nine, just with how much firmer it was and how much it quickened up.

Q. What's the last tournament that you did win?

SAM BURNS: I'm not really sure.

Q. Back in college?

SAM BURNS: No, I've won professionally.