VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 17, 2022

Sam Burns

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Did you like the course before you won?

SAM BURNS: Yeah. Yeah. I think, I played a couple junior events here. What was the name of that? Some AJGA event, I think. It's been a little while. But, yeah, I've always liked the golf course.

Q. It pays better than the AJGA, from what I hear.

SAM BURNS: I mean it pays, if it pays anything, it pays better.

Q. What club on 17?

SAM BURNS: 8-iron.

Q. How do you feel about bogeys in general? How angry do you get with bogeys?

SAM BURNS: It's part of the game. I mean, you just kind of take them and roll with them. I think for me it's, in the past I would say frustrating, which is okay. It's okay to be frustrated. I think it's just what do you do with that frustration? Do you let it carry over to the next shot or do you kind of address it and flush it and move on? I think that's the most important thing.

Q. Are you a flush and move?

SAM BURNS: Yeah. I think --

Q. Did it take you awhile to learn that?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, for sure. I think this game can be frustrating at times and you just kind of have to keep rolling with the punches and just know that each shot is just as important as the last one or the next one. So just keep going with it.

Q. How did you play 18?

SAM BURNS: I hit an okay 3-wood, didn't hit it great. Just it's just kind of a position shot, just trying to get it in the fairway.

Then we had 183. So just trying to hit a 185 7-iron. Got a couple past, but fairly straightforward putt from there. I honestly thought I missed it. It hit something and kind of shot little right halfway. But it caught the right side, so...

Q. When you've won at a place, when you get back to the opening round, do you ever find yourself on certain holes thinking about last year, good or bad?

SAM BURNS: Well, I think --

Q. You hit 7-iron last year at 16, by the way.

SAM BURNS: You know, the thing about last year is it has nothing to do with this year. So many things are different. There's not much correlation between the two.

So I think just trying to treat this week as its own, go out there and prepare well, prepare to play good golf, and Travis did great job out there all day. We had some good numbers and were able to convert.

Q. You flushed and moved on from last year.

SAM BURNS: Yeah. I mean, as I'm playing, you know, obviously, I think I'll look back forever on that event, it being my first win. Wins don't happen out here often, so I think it's good to reflect and just be extremely grateful and thankful that they happen and that's what I'll try to do.

Q. The conditions, just how ideal was it out there? We've seen a lot of low scores.

SAM BURNS: Yeah. I think the golf course, the greens are really receptive with the rain we've gotten the last week. Yeah, I think the golf course will continue to firm up after we get some sun and wind and I think it's going to play really well the next few days.

Q. Non-golf playing question for you. Have you seen your parking spot in the players lot yet and what your impressions of it were?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, it's really cool. I don't know who did it but they did a fantastic job with the eye of the Tiger there and then the state of Louisiana for the L in LSU. So really well thought out, they did a great job.

Q. Have you had a painted parking spot anywhere before?

SAM BURNS: No, first time. So that was cool.

Q. What goes through are mind when you're entering the Snake Pit, holes 16, 17, 18?

SAM BURNS: Well I think starting there on 16 just trying to get all the information of the carry numbers and through numbers there and then just try to pick the most efficient shot and try to execute and do the same thing on the next one and so forth.