One more week, another seven-time deficit was cleared as Sam Burns came out of nowhere to take the trophy in the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge. Colonial’s score was nearly 3, the Louisiana native catapulted into the standings and into a playoff with his good friend Scottie Scheffler.
Spotted by a dramatic bird in the first hole of the playoffs, Burns not only captured a tartan jacket and a custom ’79 Firebird, but most importantly, his third win of the season. For much of the day, hell, for much of the tournament, it was almost assumed that Scheffler would get his fifth win in the last four months.
The Texan was unable to pick up any momentum, however, and eventually signed for a 2 out of 72. desire to give in. Ultimately, his poor play combined with the difficult conditions turned out to be too much, as Burns pulled the rug just below him.
Burns ’triumph in the Charles Schwab Challenge is his fourth in his last 28 starts, and it’s time we stopped treating him as a promising one, but as a star who has come to stay.
Comparisons are difficult, but we are set to make them as sports fans, writers, and so on. The parallels between Jordan Spieth and Scheffler have even been made, but oddly enough, it’s Spieth’s best friend on tour, Justin Thomas, whom I find the closest thing to Burns.
This is not a recent bias or an easy start after Thomas recovered from a seven-time deficit last Sunday at the PGA Championship. But ask yourself: are there two players on the Tour who are hotter when they are?
You could add Cameron Smith to the mix, but Burns has the ability to make birds in every hole when he shoots all the cylinders … just like Thomas. Burns was a prominent collegiate player outside the Southeastern Conference … just like Thomas. Burns took the back seat to his good friend’s rise to number 1 in the world with everyone joining him as the next big one … just like Thomas.
Thomas reached the 2017 PGA Championship with his four PGA Tour victories over 23 months. Burns will (probably) reach the U.S. Open with four wins in 13 months. The 25-year-old is a certified stallion, a mainstay in the top 10 of the official world golf rankings, and it’s only a matter of time before he claims the title of senior champion for himself. Grade: A +
Here are the rest of our qualifications for the Charles Schwab Challenge 2022
2. Scottie Scheffler (-9): Upstairs, I had partially written Scheffler as the winner of your Charles Schwab Challenge. Despite his poor play, he seemed to find a way to get this thing out as all the big ones seem to do. It is not the defeat of the playoffs that will keep him awake at night, but his round of 2 out of 72, as only once better would he have given him the trophy. He is still the best player in the world, which is why he was supposed to win after gaining some of the lead in the first round. He’s been taking breaks for the last four months, so maybe this is just the way the golf gods are spreading love. Grade: A-
T4. Davis Riley (-7): If the playoff defeat at the Valspar Championship looked like a bee sting, it must have felt like a wasp. Riley imposed the lead alone behind nine after three birdies around the turn, but a short par miss at par-3 13 was the start of the final. He soon followed a double bogey six, and with him his chances for his first PGA Tour title faded. Its last five starts read T4-T13-T9-5-T4. Over the next three months there will be a battle with Cameron Young for Rookie of the Year. Grade: A
T4. Tony Finau (-7): It may have been the calmest finish in the top five of the year, but it marks a quality result for Finau, which has been difficult to achieve. The 32-year-old has been without a top 20 in a full field event outside of his runner-up at the Mexico Open. Still, the ball seemed strong, and now his short play is starting to help him steadily. It couldn’t have happened at a better time, as summer time begins to heat up with the Memorial Tournament next week. In seven previous appearances, Finau has reached four finals in the top 15, so expect your good game to continue in Ohio. Grade: A-
T7. Jordan Spieth (-5): Nothing should surprise you when it comes to Spieth these days, but his final round may have been a perfect encapsulation of the state of his game; he fucked six bogeys, six pars and six birdies. The Texan ranked in the top five in the two strokes won with the tee and the strokes around the green, but fell behind with his approach play and, as usual, his putter. Spieth will not be satisfied with another ranking in the top 10 in Colonial and will surely take the time to work on the flat stick before next week. The good news is that Muirfield Village has done well in the past, having beaten the Greens in eight of 10 outings. Grade: B +