By Roy Lang III |
Tuesday morning, former Calvary and LSU star golfer Sam Burns was named one of the six captain’s selections to play on the 2023 United States Ryder Cup Team.
Burns will be a Ryder Cup rookie when the Americans take on Europe at next month’s competition, held Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio in Italy.
“I’m incredibly honored to represent the USA in Rome and to be on this Ryder Cup team with world-class players,” Burns told The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate early Tuesday morning. “It has long been a dream of mine and I can’t wait to tee it up in a few weeks.”
The former Jack Nicklaus Award (best Division I golfer in the nation) winner has five PGA Tour victories, including a victory in the World Golf Championship Match Play in March. He finished 12th on the Ryder Cup points list, but only the top six earn automatic berths on the 12-man team.
Sam Burns, a former Calvary and LSU star, has earned his first selection to the United States Ryder Cup team.
Mike Stewart/AP
Burns joins Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas as captain’s selections by Zach Johnson. They will join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele.
As a member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team last year, Burns was 0-3-2 against the Internationals — three losses came as a partner to then-struggling Scottie Scheffler.
Burns finished a career-best ninth at last week’s Tour Championship to cap a season in which he made more than $7 million. He was a member of the 2014 U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team.
Shreveport’s David Toms played on three Ryder Cup teams.
Email Roy Lang III at Roy.Lang@TheAdvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @RoyLangIII.