How Scottie Scheffler Accidentally Gave Sam Burns Major-Championship Formula to Lead the Open

We know Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns are good friends. They share protein balls, inside jokes, and sometimes even a belt when Scheffler forgot his belt during a tournament. But this week at Royal Birkdale, Burns revealed that Scheffler gave him something far more valuable.

Burns credited his 54-hole lead at The Open Championship to years of passive observation of his best friend and world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler.

“I felt like I played a bit too aggressive at times, and I think at some of these golf courses where you’re penalized a little bit more than a typical Tour golf course we play, I think I hadn’t quite learned that the hard way. It took a bit longer for me,” Burns said after his round, per Today’s Golfer report.

“It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and kind of watch what he does. He’s far and beyond the best person that does that. He makes so few mistakes, and he doesn’t take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.”

It wasn’t a sit-down lesson. By Burns’ own account, it was closer to watching how rarely Scheffler forces a shot he doesn’t need to. And how often he’s content to leave himself a longer putt rather than chase a flag tucked behind a bunker.

It has completely changed Burns’ week. On Friday, he shot a 62. That tied the record for the lowest single round ever in a major. On Saturday, he followed it with a 65 to take the outright lead of the tournament by two shots, only 18 holes remaining.

But It’s Not Just Strategy of Scheffler’s Game That’s Shaped Burns’ Week

Before The Open even started, Burns faced a much harder problem away from the fairways.

Burns and his wife Caroline were expecting their second child. The due date was Tuesday of Open week. So for months, Burns thought he would be at home with his family, not playing golf in England. Then, something changed. Their daughter Belle arrived early, on July 3.

Suddenly, there was a chance to go to Royal Birkdale. But even with the early birth, Burns wasn’t sure he should leave.

“I still wasn’t sure if I could get there mentally,” Burns explained, per Today’s Golfer.

“It’s just a weird dynamic of having a new baby, and you want to be there for them and your family. I think it was ultimately my decision of, could I get there from a mental standpoint of having to leave?”

His wife Caroline was the first to push him.  But Burns needed to hear from someone who had been through the same thing. So he called Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler had faced the exact same situation. Before the 2024 Masters, his wife Meredith was pregnant with their first child. Scheffler said he would leave Augusta in the middle of the tournament if she went into labor. 

In the end, the baby waited. Their son Bennett was born a few weeks later, and Scheffler won that Masters.

“I actually called Scottie the week before just to talk to him about it, just to kind of see if I was thinking the right way about the situation,” Burns said. “He gave me some good words of encouragement. We only get four of these [majors] a year. If it was a different event, I probably wouldn’t be here.”