CHARLES SCHWAB CHALLENGE

May 29, 2022

Sam Burns

Colonial CC

Press Conference

JOHN BUSH: We'll get started. We'd like to welcome the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge champion Sam Burns into the interview room. What a day. A hard day but one that you will always remember, a dream come true for you to win here at Colonial.

SAM BURNS: Absolutely. Man, just starting the day seven back -- you know, coming into today, I figured with how tough it was going to be playing that if I went out and posted a really good number, who knows what can happen. Scottie has been playing unbelievable. I mean, it's just a really hard golf course with a lot of wind and crazy things happen, and fortunately I was able to sneak into a playoff and obviously make that putt there on 18.

JOHN BUSH: Tell us what you saw on that putt.

SAM BURNS: Yeah, so we were about 10 yards closer from the fairway, had 140, and we were trying to hit like a 125 gap wedge. Just got hit with a lot of wind and just snuck over the back of the green, but not a bad spot.

Pretty straightforward putt. A little downhill, breaking left to right the whole way, played it about a foot out and just tried to match the speed up. I honestly thought it was going to be a little bit short when I hit it, and that's kind of why my reaction was what it was. I thought I left it short.

Yeah, I mean, to see that go in, that was obviously really cool, and yeah.

Q. You don't move up much, but you do move up one spot in the FedExCup standings to No. 2 now. Talk a little bit about your goals for the rest of the year. Have they changed any now or still pretty much the same?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I feel like I have to win a few more times to catch Scottie. But yeah, just trying to put myself in that position more often, as much as I can the rest of the year, and see what happens.

Q. You said you needed a really good number. When you walked off 18 what did you think you needed?

SAM BURNS: I thought I needed to make that putt on 18 in regulation to get to 10, and to be honest I thought I did make it. I hit a really good putt and just missed barely low.

But then I started thinking about worrying and sitting there with Travis, some of those holes on the back just plays so tough with that wind direction. So just -- it's tough to get the ball close, especially if you're not hitting the fairway.

Q. How did you stay loose during that break and what did you do between your round and the playoff?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I just hung out in player dining for a bit with my family. Probably when Scottie was on 16 I went to the gym and kind of loosened up again for about 15 or 20 minutes and then came back, put my golf shoes on and then Travis and I went out and hit a few putts and hit some golf balls.

Q. What was it like, you and Scottie obviously are really good friends. Just talk about that aspect of it, you guys being in a position (indiscernible)?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, we're probably best friends. But at the same time I can assure you, he wanted to beat me more than anybody else and I wanted to beat him more than anybody else, and it just happened to be the two of us at the end.

Yeah, it's going to be a fun story that we'll get to have for the rest of our careers, and fortunately I got the better end of it this time, but hopefully we're at the beginning of these situations in the future.

Q. You teed off almost an hour and a half before Scottie. How grateful were you that you were in the clubhouse during that last hour seeing them battle those winds like that?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I can assure you I did not envy them while they were out there playing. Not that it was -- didn't feel like it was blowing any less than we were out there, it was just one of those things when you finally finish, you're just ready to be done. But at the same time kind of thought maybe we could sneak into a playoff. Thought 10 was going to be the number. Ended up being 9. Had to kind of flip our mindset and be ready when we got the opportunity.

Q. Grinding through four days where it was pretty windy, what was the key to getting through that challenge?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, well, the thing about it is it's easy to get frustrated out there while you're hitting good shots and the wind is giving you this, that and the other. The thing we tried to do is just conserve as much energy as possible and not waste it with silly stuff. Just trying to be really focused and intentional about the shots we were trying to hit and once we did, it was out of our control at that point. Just accepting wherever that ball ended up.

Hit some good shots that didn't end up in great spots and I hit some bad shots that I got away with it. It's kind of part of it, so we just tried to press forward and just be ready for the next one.

Q. I know you said you thought maybe the pack would come back, did you have in your mind what has to happen for all of these guys to get back in it?

SAM BURNS: Not necessarily. I had been out there, I knew those holes and I knew the wind and I knew how challenging it was. The thing a lot of people don't understand is the putting is just as difficult. You see these guys missing these short putts and it was like -- it's not that they're nervous, it's just that hard when the wind is blowing 30 miles an hour. It's moving those golf balls on the green. That's the most difficult part is just because you're lying up there in two and a hhave three feet, it's not just go up there and brush it in. It's going to have your full attention.

I think when you get this much wind, that's one of those parts of it.

Q. Are you a car guy and have you ever driven a Firebird before?

SAM BURNS: I am now. I have not. I have not yet.

Q. Seems like an astonishingly quick end to the drama. What was it like waiting an hour and a half, getting loose, getting yourself back out there and then it's over so quick?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I don't know. I didn't know how much I had to protect to be honest, after last week and the past three days here, just how difficult it was. I'm pretty exhausted. But yeah, I guess the fans probably would have enjoyed a little more fun there in the playoff. But yeah, I don't know what to say.

Q. Have you ever been in a situation where you got yourself (indiscernible)?

SAM BURNS: Well, I think you don't really know what's going to happen in a playoff, so for me it was -- mentally I was prepared to go as long as it took. I don't know if I could have done it physically. But mentally I was ready. Just one of those things where you don't know if you're going to get the opportunity, but when Coach calls your name, you've got to be ready to play, and I think we did a really good job of being ready.

Q. You've mentioned before coming here as a child and watching this tournament. Just talk about the emotion and just the significance of coming back and winning this tournament.

SAM BURNS: Yeah, back in 2011 I was here when David Toms won. Been a mentor of mine, great friend of my family, and I remember being there whenever he holed a wedge on 11, and walked around with Carter for a couple days. That was really fun, and memories that I still think about. It was funny, I actually saw his wedge in there in the dining -- I'm assuming it's the one he made the wedge shot with. But yeah, it's really cool, and I can't wait to give him a text and have my name up there next to his.

Q. You won at Valspar, now won here in difficult conditions on different golf courses. What is it about your game that's suited to those type of conditions?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I don't know if it's what it necessarily is in my golf game. I think for me, I just tried to really -- just tried to be patient when it's tough. It can be easy at times to try to push a little bit when the conditions get tough and you're kind of behind. I think for me just trying to let the rounds kind of develop, and fortunately this weekend I birdied the first three holes yesterday and birdied three of the first four today.

That obviously helps.

Just trying to ease into the round. I want to give it my best every day.

Q. You work with Mark Gorman. What does he bring to your game?

SAM BURNS: Well, I think a lot of different areas, but from a golf course standpoint, just for this week, for example, when I played here in the past, I have not hit enough drivers. I always try to lay back a little bit. We talked about that early in the week, that's just -- the advantage does not match up to laying back. You need to push it around this golf course. That's what we did. Even if it was uncomfortable or whatever it was, we just tried to hit the correct shots at the right times and tried to execute as best as possible.