Sam Burns recorded THIS INCREDIBLE putting stat in American Express round one
Sam Burns shot 7-under in his first nine holes at The American Express and he had his red-hot putter to thank for this...
PGA Tour star Sam Burns shot the lowest nine-hole stretch of his career in the first round of The American Express, but it was his incredible putting total on the front nine which caught the eye.
In his opening nine holes at the Stadium Course, Burns didn't miss a putt. He hit nine putts on his way to shooting 7-under on the front nine and 8-under in total.
The 26-year-old holed a six-footer on the 1st hole and a four-footer on the 2nd, both for birdies. He saved par with another short one on 3 and he made his third birdie in four holes on the next with a nine-foot putt.
His faultless streak continued on the par-5 5th hole with another birdie. He finished the first half of his round with birdies on 7, 8 and 9 with putts from five feet, four feet and one foot.
Putting becomes incredibly easy when you hit the ball as close to the hole as Burns does. He is on course to challenge for his fifth PGA Tour title and his fourth since the start of last season.
Beauty from Burns @SamBurns66 makes the turn at 7-under. pic.twitter.com/yBNsmQVS2P
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 19, 2023
"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," Burns said after his round.
"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."
It is no surprise that Burns was ranked first in putts per green in regulation on Thursday. He took 24 putts in total and was ranked second in strokes gained in putting on the Stadium Course.
Burns is two shots behind Davis Thompson who shot 10-under on day one at La Quinta. Thompson made back-to-back eagles on the front nine in what was an amazing stretch of holes.
