THE AMERICAN EXPRESS

January 19, 2023

Sam Burns

PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium Course

Quick Quotes

Q. Just some comments on that round. It was a tough finish on the last, but a great front nine.

SAM BURNS: Got off to a great start. Birdieing the first two is always nice. Just kept the momentum going.

Played pretty good on the back. Just didn't play as well as I did on the front. But overall really solid round.

Q. It's not foreign territory to you out there at this golf course. You shot 63 in the final round a couple years ago. So what is it that you understand about this golf course?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I like the golf course a lot. If you drive it well you can get some wedges in your hand and be able to attack. And then the greens are really nice. So most of all just trying to go out there and put a good round together.

Q. Can you describe to us, you're 9-under par and you get to that last tee. What it's like on that hole? Obviously you made a bogey, but what is it like standing on that last hole having to hit that tee shot and the thought process?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, it's an awkward tee shot for me because I'm kind of in between clubs there. There's a bunker that kind of comes in on the right that driver gets in pretty quick. And then the bunker that I hit it in I can't cover with a 3-wood. So it's a little bit of an awkward shot.

I didn't really -- I thought about trying to draw it off the right bunker and just didn't really commit to doing that and just kind of hit a heel cut into the bunker. Yeah, I mean it's a golf course where it can get you if you're not paying attention. But if you're really kind of locked in out there and hitting the correct shots then you're able to attack.

Q. It's traditionally the most difficult course at this event. So you set yourself up nicely with a good low round here today. What do you look forward to the next couple of days?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think I'm playing La Quinta tomorrow, I'm not really sure. Yeah, I mean, just going out there and trying to have a good game plan and sticking to it. I think La Quinta is a great golf course. People say it's really easy, but at the same time it's still a golf course and you have to go execute. So I think for us tomorrow just going out there and trying to hit the correct shots and executing and shooting the best score we can, whatever that is.

Q. Two-part question. You played in the Presidents Cup last year. How much confidence did that give you and what was that experience like for you? Secondly, how would you describe your season so far since then?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think, for starters, single handedly the most fun I've had on the golf course in my career. Just being with the guys and playing for a team, it's so much different. It was an absolute blast. It did give me a lot of confidence. I played well and it was nice to see that under that pressure.

The season so far, I played okay. The fall is just always weird. I want to take a break, but kind of have to play. A lot of times just kind of mentally not quite in it all the way. Excited to be here this week and look forward to the rest of the week.