Q. Birdied four of your last five holes, and that was a big putt here at 17 to close out Patrick Cantlay. Tough match, came from behind on the back nine. Your thoughts on the win?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I knew going into the day Patrick is a great competitor. I knew he was going to play really hard, and that's what he did.
Overall we had a great match. I think it was -- ultimately came down to who could hole a putt. Fortunately I was able to make that one there at 17.
But yeah, overall great match. Feel good going into the afternoon.
Q. Things may have changed from your direction on 8 because you made bogey and he looked like he was going to make an up-and-down par to go 2-up. That did not happen, and you made some mistakes at 10 and 11 and you grabbed the lead.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, you always have kind of a pivotal hole or two in the match. Fortunately for me, he did not get up-and-down on 8 and then made a mistake there on 11. Other than that, I feel good about how I played.
Q. Mackenzie Hughes is up next; your thoughts on playing him?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I'm excited. Mac is a great player, another great competitor, and I'm looking forward to battling it out with him.
Q. Through to the quarterfinals in your tournament debut. What was the most important thing you did in overcoming your Presidents Cup teammate in Patrick Cantlay today?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, Patrick is a great competitor, world-class player, and I knew he was going to give me a really tough battle out there. We had a great match. It was fun competing with him. I always look forward to playing great players like him.
Fortunately for me today I came out on the good side, but overall a really good match.
Q. This being your tournament debut, what past experiences did you lean on today?
SAM BURNS: I think the most important thing in match play is to try and not give your opponent any holes. Always try to be in the hole, and for me trying to be able to lean on my putter.
I think we did a pretty good job of that. A couple mistakes here and there. But I always want to get something back. But overall really solid.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports