Sam Burns
Scottie Scheffler withdrawing from the Houston Open obviously gives every other golfer a much better chance of winning this week. The defending champion in Min Woo Lee should see plenty of action for one and done pools, as will Chris Gotterup and Brooks Koepka. While all three have appeal, I am going to go a little off the path with Burns, who shouldn’t be too popular, as he has missed three cuts in six starts this season.
While this is concerning, Burns finished T-6 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month and he looked strong at THE PLAYERS Championship in his last start, finishing T-13. Burns was bound for a missed cut after a 4-over 76 in the first round, but he then shot at least a 69 in his final three rounds at the challenging TPC Sawgrass.
For each of those three rounds, Burns finished top-12 in strokes gained and for the tournament, he finished second in SGP. Seeing Burns fight back like this was encouraging and the LSU product is in a great position to keep his foot on the gas this week heading to Memorial Park. Burns withdrew from the 2023 Houston Open, but he competed at Memorial Park the prior two seasons and finished T-7 both times. Burns has shot under par in five of his nine rounds at the par 70, including a 5-under 65 in 2021.
Burns is gaining 1.29 strokes per round at Memorial Park and he ranks top-25 in both SGP and driving distance this season, which sets him up well for his return to Houston. Memorial Park is a driver-heavy course where having length and a hot putter are key to winning. Of the last five winners at this track, three have finished the event top-16 in both SGP and driving distance.
In addition to Burns’ high finishes at Memorial Park, each of his last two wins have come in Texas. Burns defeated Scheffler in a playoff to win the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club and he won the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. Burns obviously enjoys competing in the Lone Star State and him rejoining the winner’s circle at Memorial Park would be very fitting.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Burns carries the third-best odds to win the Houston Open at +2350.
Past One and Done Tournament Results
The Sony Open: J.J. Spaun (T40)
The American Express: Si Woo Kim (T6)
The Farmers Insurance Open: Will Zalatoris (MC)
WM Phoenix Open: Maverick McNealy (T13)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Justin Rose (T37)
The Genesis Invitational: Hideki Matsuyama (T28)
Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches: Shane Lowry (T2)
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Rory McIlroy (WD)
THE PLAYERS Championship: Collin Morikawa (WD)
Valspar Championship: Jacob Bridgeman (T14)
