'24-year-old Young Gun' Burns' First Victory "Super Rookie Emerges"... Im Sungjae Finishes "29th"

Final Day of Valspar Championship: 3-Under Par '3-Stroke Victory', Bradley in 2nd, 'Number 2' Thomas Tied for 13th

Sam Burns is cheering after making a birdie on the 16th hole on the final day of the Valspar Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "I am a top rookie."

Sam Burns (USA) secured his first victory on the PGA Tour. On the final day of the Valspar Championship (total prize money $6.9 million) held on the 3rd (Korean time) at Innisbrook Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida (par 71, 7,340 yards), he added 3 under par to achieve a commanding 3-shot victory (17 under par 267). The winner's prize money was a whopping $1,242,000 (1.39 billion KRW). Keegan Bradley (USA) finished second (14 under par 270), and Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) tied for 29th place (4 under par 280).

Burns is a ‘24-year-old young gun’ who advanced to the PGA Tour in the 2019 season after winning the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour Savannah Championship. He successfully made a smooth transition with three top-10 finishes, including a tie for 3rd at the Sanderson Farms Championship in November 2018, and added another top-10 finish with a tie for 6th at the American Express in January last year. His chances of winning increased further in the 2021 season with two ties for 7th at the Safeway Open in September and the Houston Open in November.

Attention should be paid to the Genesis Invitational last February. He dominated the top of the leaderboard for three days but slipped to 3rd place on the final day, which was a disappointment. In this tournament, he created momentum by shooting a daily best 8 under par on the second day. He shot 2 under par the previous day, and on this day, he recorded six birdies and three bogeys. He opened the scoring early with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, exchanged a birdie on hole 7 (par 4) for a bogey on hole 8 (par 3), and then energized himself with birdies on holes 11 and 14 in the back nine.

Burns made a second bogey on hole 15 (par 3) but recovered with a birdie on hole 16 (par 4). The bogey on the final hole 18 (par 4) did not affect his victory. He unleashed a long drive of up to 328 yards, and his ‘stingy putting’ stood out with an average of 1.50 putts per hole. Currently ranked 94th in the world, this victory not only secures his ticket to next year’s Masters but also propels him into the ‘top 50,’ the benchmark for world stars. He cheered, "I really worked hard for this moment."

Bradley’s pursuit was halted at hole 13 (par 3), where his tee shot landed in the water, resulting in a double bogey, a critical blow. Viktor Hovland (Norway) tied for 3rd place (13 under par 271), and ‘number 2’ Justin Thomas (USA) tied for 13th place (7 under par 277). Paul Casey’s (England) bid for a third consecutive win stopped at a tie for 21st place (5 under par 279). In Korea, Lee Kyoung-hoon (30) joined the tie for 29th place, while An Byeong-hun (30, CJ Logistics) struggled with 6 over par and finished 67th (5 over par 289).

Im Sung-jae is attempting a bunker shot on the 4th hole on the final day of the Valspar Championship. Palm Harbor, Florida, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

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