THE MODERATOR: Sam Burns joins us now at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Sam, welcome to your second Ryder Cup.
Let's go ahead and jump right into some questions here.
Q. Just wanted to ask you about your relationship with Donald Trump, obviously coming tomorrow. I think he said after the BMW Championship that you could eat safely in Washington, D.C. now but I just wanted to expand on your relationship and what it means to you for him coming tomorrow.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think it's a huge honor to have our president come to this event, support our team. You know, this is about representing our country and representing the United States of America, and who better to represent that than the President. I think we are all excited.
Q. Making your Ryder Cup debut a couple years ago in Rome, how much are you looking forward to being able to experience this atmosphere at home this time?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's obviously very different playing away versus home. I haven't experienced a Ryder Cup at home yet. But you know, just these last couple days with having the support of the fans out here, and then, you know, playing the Presidents Cup in Charlotte, pretty similar.
So it's been great. I think these New York fans are very excited to have us here, and they love their sports. You know, we're going to try to go out there and give them a show and play our best and hopefully kind of feed into that support.
Q. How much has what happened in Rome been on your mind or left a sour taste in your mouth over the past couple years?
SAM BURNS: I think as competitors, you know, losing is never fun. You know, it doesn't matter what sport or what game, whatever it is. You know, losing sucks in general.
And so I think, you know, for me and for us, we want to use those memories as fuel this week, and as we prepare, I think everyone that was on that team or watched vividly remembers what that feels like. And so you don't want that feeling again.
Q. What do you love so much about match play? You've had a bunch of success.
SAM BURNS: Well, I think for one, it's such a different style than what we typically are used to week-in and week-out. You know, it's either me and someone else against two other people or you against the person standing on the tee with you.
And so I think it's just a totally different animal, and it's -- you know, a lot of times, like if you make a mistake on a hole or you make a big number on a hole, the worst thing that can happen you is lose one hole.
I think that's the really cool part of match play is things can happen in a weird way that you typically don't see in stroke play. And so I think you see big swings in matches or pivotal moments in matches where you can really use momentum. So stuff like that, I think I enjoy that part of it.
Q. Did you see Coach O out here this week?
SAM BURNS: Oh, of course.
Q. Do you guys have a relationship?
SAM BURNS: A little bit. I've seen him a few times since our time at LSU but it was great seeing him out here. He obviously loves being out with the fans and kind of spurring them on. He's a perfect person for that.
Q. Obviously being a good putter requires technical skills but I'm wondering, weeks like this, how much of the guys who really thrive, how much of it is managing your nerves over those sort of five- to eight-footers?
SAM BURNS: I think for me personally, I try to approach it the same as any other putt. For me, I try to, first off, read it the correct way, and then I try to keep putting as simple as possible. I think there is so many things that happen after you hit a putt that are out of your control, whether it hits a spike mark or an imperfection on the green or the wind blows it, there's so many things that can happen.
For me, I try to read it, start it on the line I want to with the right speed, and after that, whatever happens, happens. I think that's the best way to approach putting for myself.
Q. But that element of controlling the jitters, I would imagine you get to feel it no matter how good a putter you are. Is there anything you do in particular that helps you manage that piece of it?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, for sure. For starters, making sure that you putt when you're ready to putt. Sometimes things can happen quickly, so just making sure you're settled in or not rushing it, making sure you take the appropriate amount of time to kind of settle into your routine.
Yeah, there's definitely nerves. There's definitely excitement. It's just settling yourself down and realizing that a 6-footer is a 6-footer. It's a lot more difficult to do when you're out there, but I think that's the simplest form of doing that.
Q. There's been a lot of talk about the money this week and the stipend. What do you make of this notion that if guys are getting paid, then somehow it's not as pure or they are not playing for their country in some way?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, to be honest, my personal opinion is I'm extremely grateful that the PGA of America is doing this. I live in a small town in Louisiana, and that amount of money in that community for those charities is going to go a long ways.
So for me personally, it's going to have a huge impact on our community. I'm just extremely grateful that we get that opportunity.
Q. Yesterday Luke Donald said, you know, we are not here for prize money. Did you guys take that as sort of a subtle jab?
SAM BURNS: I mean, to be honest, like for us, being able to steward that money in our own communities at home, I think that's a great thing. And I think the PGA of America giving us the opportunity for us to do that is really special.
Q. Having played in a Ryder Cup before, how different are those interactions with the Europeans that you're playing with, as opposed to a guy that you're playing with at a normal PGA TOUR event?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, there's probably a lot less small talk. I think in a normal week, normal PGA TOUR round, time between shots, you're usually talking about something, families and kids or whatever it is.
But this week, I think you're just kind of a little more focused on -- you're either talking with your teammate or whoever you're playing with, your caddie, just a little more focused on kind of your little bubble.
Q. Was there a lot of chirping involved the last time?
SAM BURNS: In Rome?
Q. Yeah.
SAM BURNS: Not necessarily. Not that I really recall.
Q. Back on the topic of putting, with Black typically having very subtle breaks and not a ton of undulation on them, just curious any insight into your green reading process, if that changes things or your final thought before pulling the trigger. Maybe it's straight, a little bit of break, what's the last thought in your head there?
SAM BURNS: I would say the last thought is, I mean, for me, it's committing to a line that I've read. I think the worst thing you can do in putting is kind of be unsure. Because a lot of times if you're unsure, you don't really make a good stroke or don't really have good speed.
So really, it's just committing to that line and trying to make a good stroke, and then being able to accept the result.
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