Halfway leader talks course strategy, staying composed under pressure, and what it will take to finish strong at Oakmont
Q. 5-under 65; can you just talk us through that round out there? Pretty remarkable stuff.
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I played really well yesterday other than the finishing holes. So I think today was just kind of getting mentally ready to come out and try to put a good round together. I feel like I’ve been playing well coming off last week and into this week and my round yesterday. Really just trying to get yourself in position out here and give yourself as many looks as you can.
Q. How momentous was that par save on the last?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, it’s nice. It’s obviously a difficult hole. It’s a blind tee shot kind of up the hill, and was trying to hit kind of a fade off the left side and just pulled it a little bit. Then that putt was, I don’t know, six feet of break. Yeah, it was a nice one to make for sure.
Q. What did you tell yourself after last night coming into today?
SAM BURNS: Just that I played a really nice round of golf, and I think you get out of position here, and the golf course will bite you.
It was unfortunate, but there was too much good to focus on the little bit of bad.
Q. You obviously have an accomplished career, been in a lot of big positions, but how does it feel being in this position at a major after 36 holes?
SAM BURNS: It’s good. There’s obviously a lot of golf left on a very tough golf course, so I think really this afternoon just getting rest and getting ready for tomorrow.
Q. Did you feel like you learned anything last year after Pinehurst? It was your first top 10 in a major. Did you feel like you learned anything that week that made you take a step up in these big tournaments?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think at times, trying to be a little too perfect around major championship golf courses, and I think especially around here, honestly it kind of forces you to take your medicine because a lot of times that’s the only option you have.
I think for this golf course, you really just have to free it up. It’s too hard to try to guide it around here. You’re going to hit some in the rough, you’re going to hit some in some bad spots, you might as well do it with authority.
Yeah, it’s going to be a fun weekend.
Q. Did you feel like you learned anything about the greens yesterday, and what else might have helped your putting performance today?
SAM BURNS: Other than they’re extremely difficult, not really. I think a lot of times you have putts where even from 15 or 20 feet where you’re not really trying to make them, you’re just trying to get the speed right and hope that it snuggles up next to the hole. I even had a couple today that were 15 or 20 feet that I hit three or four feet by without even thinking about it.
You have to really pay attention to where you’re at.
Q. How different is that from the average TOUR course you play?
SAM BURNS: Well, I mean, I think speed-wise, the golf course — the greens we play are pretty quick. But the speed of these with how much slope is in them, that’s what makes them very difficult.
Q. Did you think in the practice rounds 65 was possible in your mind, a score that good?
SAM BURNS: Honestly, I didn’t really think of much of a score. Like I said, the golf course is really too difficult to try to figure out what’s a good score and what’s not. You’re really just shot by shot and trying to play each hole the best you can.
Q. Why do you think you’re a good putter, like one of the best in the world?
SAM BURNS: I practice it a lot. I try to keep it very simple. I think if you look at putting, the ball is rolling on the ground. There’s a lot of imperfections on grass. There’s a lot of different lines the ball can go in, depending on the speed, so if you try to be too perfect with putting it can drive you crazy, so I just try to really read it, put a good roll on it, focus on the speed and hope for the best.
Q. As good as the round was, is it crazy to think it might have been better with some of the putts you did have that — you had some other good looks.
SAM BURNS: Not really, no. I think that’s being a little greedy. Like I said, you have 15, 20 feet, which seems like a makeable putt, but a lot of times you’re aiming four, five, six, seven feet of break.
Q. There’s a few of you guys at the top, non-major winners, and some of the guys who have won majors are a little further down. Do you think there’s anything to that, maybe not thinking too much about the golf course, or could be overcooking it after two days, too?
SAM BURNS: What was the question?
Q. There’s some of you guys that haven’t won majors at the top, some who have down at the bottom. Do you think there’s anything to that, maybe not thinking as much?
SAM BURNS: I don’t know. I think for me, I can only really speak on my experience. I feel like, like I said earlier, I just feel like I’ve tried to play too perfect and tried to force it a little bit at times. So trying to really be patient and take what the golf course gives me.
Q. How has this course been challenging you mentally, and how do you feel like you’ve been handling that challenge?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, I think mentally there’s no just kind of gimme hole. There’s no hole where you can get up there and just hit it and not really pay attention to what you’re trying to do. I think it requires a lot of focus on every shot, and even when you’re in the rough and you’re trying to get it back in the fairway, it’s just every shot is difficult. So really you’re very focused and putting a lot into every shot mentally, and I think over time that’s just pretty taxing.
Q. You’ve really had to be in your bag of tricks the past two days. How crucial has your short game been to posting the scores you’ve posted so far?
SAM BURNS: Yeah, it’s been nice. Look, this golf course is very tough and you’re going to get the ball out of position and you’re going to get in some spots that are tricky. I think being able to rely on your short game and give yourself a chance at par is really important.
Q. When you have a 5-under at Oakmont with the difficulty of this course and how it wrecks so many people’s scores, what’s that like for you to have a good day out here, and how much do you worry that the course is going to get its revenge? How much of that factors in, the idea of you take these days like this when you get them?
SAM BURNS: Look, it’s a 72-hole golf tournament, and if you can get a round under par out here, no matter if it’s 1-under, you’ll take it. I think today was really nice with the finish I had yesterday, and it felt like I played really well.
Yeah, I’m looking forward to the weekend.