OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Sam Burns, who won his first PGA Tour event in May, made two birdies in his first four holes during the first round of the BMW Championship on Thursday. It was a good start for Burns, a lesser-known tour pro competing alongside the galaxy of top golfers at the tournament, which is the second of three events in the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.
But on the fifth hole Burns, 25, began to play with exceptional power and a deft touch on the greens. Burns, who was named the nation’s top college player in 2017 when he was at Louisiana State, drove the par-4 fifth green from 310 yards, and then left his eagle putt a disappointing 12 feet from the hole.