U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

June 17, 2022

Sam Burns

The Country Club

Flash Interview

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THE MODERATOR: Sam Burns, 3-under 67. Sam, four shots better than yesterday, although the course is playing a little harder. What was working well for you?

SAM BURNS: I think for me today, just drove it a little bit better. Hit my irons a little better. I think I did everything a little better.

But honestly, just trying to manage when we got it out of position and get it back in the right spots. Unfortunately just kind of a couple bad shots on 10, but it was nice to be able to get those back coming down the stretch.

Q. What do you think about the course conditions today and what should the guys in the afternoon expect?

SAM BURNS: I think the golf course has been fantastic. The setup has been great. I think it's tough but it's fair. You get rewarded when you hit good shots, and when you get out of position it's really difficult. I think that's how the U.S. Open should be.

With the wind and the sunshine that we have, the greens will continue to firm up and get faster, and it's going to be a tough afternoon and a tough weekend.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the atmosphere out there with the fans? Do you like playing in front of this kind of crowd?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, it's awesome. This area loves sports. It loves golf. I think they're excited to have us here. You can tell just by the energy out there.

It's been a blast the first couple days, and I'm really looking forward to this weekend.

Q. Can you talk about the front nine versus the back nine? You had four birdies on the front. Is it a lot more gettable?

SAM BURNS: The birdie I made on 2, that's a pretty difficult hole. I just happened to hit a really good shot in there.

I think the back nine maybe plays a little bit easier. I don't know that to be true. Just kind of my first thought.

But getting No. 8 straight downwind and having a mid iron in there is obviously really nice.

But I don't think there's a lot of letup holes out here. You kind of have to be really focused and dialed in on every shot.

Q. Finishing early on a Friday, what will be your schedule the rest of the day?

SAM BURNS: Going to grab a little lunch and practice a little bit, maybe get off my feet, maybe get a little nap in if my wife lets me. We'll see.

Q. You and Scottie right now have the rounds of the day; each shot 3-under. What does that do for team morale in the house?

SAM BURNS: I am a little upset he's beat me by one. But yeah, it's cool to see him playing well. Obviously he's had a fantastic year, and it's kind of motivated me to try to play a little bit better and try to keep up with him.

Yeah, it'll be just a chill afternoon, and hopefully we have a good weekend.

Q. Are there any parts of his game that you pick his brain about and vice versa?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think he's obviously really good at everything, but a little bit around the greens. I think trying to learn how he hits different shots and kind of how he approaches those shots. I've tried to learn from him on those.

Q. Anything around these greens specifically like this week that's different than a typical PGA TOUR setup?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, there's just a ton of slope in these greens, old style, back to front. Most of the time if you are hole high or past the hole, you're going to have a difficult chip. So trying to leave it in the correct spots around the greens, give yourself an uphill look. Just a little more to think about, I guess, out here.

Q. Now that Scottie is a Masters champion, have you seen any difference in him now that he's the hunted instead of the hunter?

SAM BURNS: No, he's just the same old guy. No.

Q. It seems like in some ways an ideal U.S. Open in that the leaderboard is some major winners and some guys who found out Friday they were going to be here. Are there guys on the leaderboard you hadn't even heard of or weren't even familiar with?

SAM BURNS: To be honest I haven't really looked at the leaderboard. I think anyone who tees it up this week is capable of winning this golf tournament. The guys that qualify through sectionals obviously played really well to get in here and they're really quality players. That's the reason they're here. It's our national championship, and anybody can win.

Q. When you do hit a shot that you didn't want to and you've left yourself out of position, do you have to fight the instinct to not be too aggressive on the next shot and just play safely? What's that process like?

SAM BURNS: I think for me it's just having an understanding of what the hole average would probably play from that position. If I hit it in a certain spot, I know that this is already a tough hole, there's going to be a lot of bogeys made on this hole, I may just lay it up in the fairway and give myself a look for par.

Yeah, I think it's different situations.