Either Sam Burns is providing a rare show of cards, or he’s practicing a little reverse psychology.
Burns says he knows who he’s pairing with at this Presidents Cup, and unlike most competitors ahead of these team events who treat potential partnerships like trade secrets, Burns dropped an easy hint during his media availability on Tuesday.
“His name starts with an ‘S’,” said Burns, alluding to a reunion with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at Medinah.
We know what many of you are thinking: Didn’t they try that already?
Yes, the two buddies don’t exactly have a sparkling record together. They went a combined 0-3-1 while teaming at the 2022 Presidents Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup before being split up for each of the past two Cups. The separation worked in 2024 with Scheffler and Burns responsible for six points in team play at Royal Montreal. But at last year’s Ryder Cup, the U.S. got a whopping half-point from the two; Scheffler went 0-4 at Bethpage before winning his singles match.
“Do I think we have unfinished business? I don’t know if I would call it that,” Burns said. “It’s been frustrating the times we have played together, and we feel like we’ve played really well and ultimately not won. I think it’s been more frustrating than anything.
“Yeah, this week we’re going to go out and compete as hard as we can and try to get as many points for the U.S. team as possible.”
Burns recalled a moment from the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow, where after tying Sungjae Im and Sebastian Munoz despite making nine birdies and an eagle, the American stats guys told Burns that he and Scheffler would’ve beaten any other team that day. Im and Munoz just happened to card nine birdies of their own, and even then, Scheffler left a 9-foot birdie putt on the last hole on the lip.
“When you look at best ball and alternate shot, there is a little bit of flukiness there for sure,” Scheffler said. “Sometimes you’re up against guys that have played really good.”
Still, that doesn’t quite explain why Scheffler, far and away the best player in the world for the better part of the last five years, has compiled a lackluster 6-11-4 record in Cup competition.
Scheffler points to his less blemished singles record – 2-2-1, plus two trips to the final of the now-defunct WGC Match Play (Scheffler and Burns each won that event once). He also went 2-1 with Russell Henley at the last Presidents Cup and added another point alongside Collin Morikawa in fourballs.
Surely, he can’t be that bad of a match player.
“I can only control what I can control,” Scheffler said, “and that’s going out there and trying to hit good shots and being a good partner for whoever it is that I’m out there with.”
Perhaps the underlying problem, Scheffler admits, is trying too hard. As a self-described hypercompetitive person, Scheffler says that extreme desire to succeed caused his putting dip a few years ago.
“When you look at this format, and like you said, maybe my record hasn’t matched up to what I think that it should be, could it be trying too hard? I think that’s definitely a factor for sure,” Scheffler said. “For me it’s different in the sense that you also have a partner with you and you’re playing for somebody outside yourself, and that’s a lot different as well.
“Kind of striking the balance between how much do you care, I think that’s something I’m always trying to figure out. Definitely for me, I think just trying less would be really important. It’s just one of those things that’s a lot easier said than done.”
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker echoes that Scheffler can’t be asked “to do more than he can do. He can only deliver five points at his best, if he goes out and plays unbelievable. We just want Scottie to … be the Scottie Scheffler he is every week.”
But Snedeker has another theory.
“You look at the best players throughout history that have played in these events, it’s always been a challenge to kind of match them up,” said Snedeker, who is likely comparing Scheffler’s situation with Tiger Woods, who owns a 13-21-3 record in Ryder Cups and has paired with a dozen different partners. However, when you factor in Woods’ Presidents Cup success (27-15-1), he has a winning Cup record.
“I think there’s an inherent kind of – not fear for the guy they’re playing with, but a feeling of, I’m letting him down. He’s the best player in the world. He’s so good at everything; no matter what I do, it isn’t going to be good enough,” Snedeker continued. “So, trying to find someone who can handle that and be themselves and not try to be someone else is super important.”
Arguably no one is more equipped to do that than Burns, who probably has logged more time around Scheffler dating to their junior-golf days than the other 10 American players combined.
Scheffler and Burns were in the same practice foursome on both Monday and Tuesday. Five other American pairs can say the same: Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun, Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa, and Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup.
“I think it’s a comfortable pairing for us,” Burns said. “We obviously spend a lot of time together, play a lot of golf together. Yeah, it’ll be fun. … Anybody on this team would be very excited to play with the No. 1 player in the world, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
If Burns can be taken at his word, he and Scheffler are set to extend the old adage: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try and try again.