Sam Burns Putting: How It Helped Him Secure a Spot on the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team
If you’re not familiar with Sam Burns, now’s the time to get acquainted. He isn’t the loudest name on the PGA Tour, and he doesn’t chase headlines with towering drives or flashy antics. Instead, he’s built his reputation on something every golfer respects: a steady putter and the ability to keep his cool when it counts.
Ask any weekend player and they’ll tell you—putting is where rounds are won or lost. You can strike the ball beautifully from tee to green, but if you can’t convert on the short grass, the scorecard doesn’t care. Burns understood this better than most. Over the past season, he turned himself into one of the best putters in the game, leading the Tour in strokes gained putting in 2025. That ability to hole putts under pressure became the calling card that earned him a coveted spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
For everyday golfers, his story is a reminder that you don’t always need to overpower a course to succeed. A reliable stroke, a calm routine, and the confidence to roll the ball into the heart of the cup can separate you from the pack—just like it did for Burns.
Why Putting Matters in the Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is unique. Unlike the weekly stroke-play grind of the PGA Tour, Ryder Cup matches are all about momentum. Every putt carries extra weight because it can swing an entire session, energize a partner, or deflate an opponent. For that reason, captains tend to look closely at who is rolling it best when making their picks.
That’s where Burns shines. He ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour in strokes-gained putting for the season. In plain terms, that means no one saved more shots on the greens than he did. When you’re playing head-to-head against the best in the world, there’s nothing more valuable than the ability to make putts from six to twelve feet under pressure.
Burns’ Second-Half Surge
Despite playing on the 2023 Ryder Cup team, Burns was far from guaranteed to make the team. He missed three consecutive cuts, including at the PGA’s prestigious Players Championship.
Following that rough stretch, however, Burns caught fire. He would go on to make 12 consecutive cuts, including a couple of outstanding top 10 finishes at the CJ Cup, RBC Canadian Open, and US Open — and were it not for an extremely unlucky break, he may have won golf’s most difficult major.
Despite this great stretch of golf from the LSU product, there was still work to be done. He still sat well outside the top-6 in the Ryder Cup Standings. He would need to continue his incredible form to impress team captain, Keegan Bradley — and he did just that.
Burns posted a T28 at the St. Jude Championship, a T4 at the BMW Championship, and a T7 at the Tour Championship. He recorded 8 straight rounds of 68 or better to finish that stretch.
Those results sent a message: Burns wasn’t just putting well—he was playing some of his best golf when the stakes were highest. For U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley, that kind of form was impossible to ignore.
The Captain’s Perspective
Bradley had a difficult decision to make. He himself sat just outside automatic qualification at 11th in points, and many speculated he might give himself a nod. Instead, he stepped aside and chose players he believed gave the U.S. the best chance to win.
On Burns, Bradley was clear:
“He is the best putter on the planet… His back was against the wall and he played well every week. That’s some of the hardest times to play good golf—and Sam did that.”
It’s one thing to rank high in putting stats; it’s another to have your captain recognize that your putting can be the difference in a team event.
Putting Stats in Context
Let’s put Burns’ numbers in perspective with a quick comparison:
| Player | Strokes Gained Putting (2025 Season) | Ryder Cup Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Burns | +0.87 (1st) | Captain’s Pick |
| Scottie Scheffler | +0.29 (Top 30) | Automatic Qualifier |
| Collin Morikawa | -0.05 (Outside Top 100) | Captain’s Pick |
| Justin Thomas | +0.15 (Top 60) | Captain’s Pick |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +0.20 (Top 50) | Automatic Qualifier |
What you see here is that, while many Ryder Cup players have balanced games, Burns separates himself by being elite on the greens. In an event where one holed putt can decide a point, that’s the kind of edge captains crave.
Golf Experts Weigh In
On Ryder Cup putting: Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee has often said, “You don’t win the Ryder Cup with drivers—you win it with putters.” That sentiment has proven true over decades, from Seve Ballesteros’s artistry to Ian Poulter’s famous “eyes bulging” heroics. Burns fits squarely in that tradition.
On pressure: Former captain Davis Love III noted, “The players who can hole a four-footer on 17 with the entire match hanging in the balance are the players you want. Sam has shown he’s comfortable in that moment.”
On momentum: Golf Channel’s Paul McGinley, himself a Ryder Cup veteran, explained, “In match play, putting isn’t just about saving strokes—it’s about emotional impact. Burns has the ability to deliver that.”
Burns’s Journey Compared to Other Picks
Looking at how Burns stacked up against his teammates helps illustrate why his putting stood out.
| Player | Ryder Cup Points (approx.) | Qualification Type |
|---|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | 37,180 | Automatic |
| J.J. Spaun | 14,852 | Automatic |
| Xander Schauffele | 13,734 | Automatic |
| Russell Henley | 12,277 | Automatic |
| Harris English | 10,881 | Automatic |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 10,775 | Automatic |
| Justin Thomas | 10,467 | Captain’s Pick |
| Collin Morikawa | 10,049 | Captain’s Pick |
| Ben Griffin | 9,746 | Captain’s Pick |
| Cameron Young | 7,210 | Captain’s Pick |
| Patrick Cantlay | 6,716 | Captain’s Pick |
| Sam Burns | 6,688 | Captain’s Pick |
Lessons for the Average Golfer
So what can weekend golfers take from Burns’ story?
- Putting can be practiced. Not everyone can add 20 yards off the tee, but anyone can commit to a putting routine. Burns spends hours honing short putts—the kind that ruin rounds for amateurs.
- Pressure practice matters. Burns prepares like he’ll need to make every putt to win a match. You can simulate that by playing competitive games on the practice green with friends.
- Routine breeds confidence. Burns’ putting stroke looks the same whether it’s a five-footer for par at the BMW Championship or a birdie attempt in a practice round. Consistency creates calm.
Sam Burns didn’t punch his Ryder Cup ticket with highlight-reel drives or by dominating leaderboards all season. He earned it the way so many matches are decided—by holing putts under pressure. His rise is a reminder to every golfer, from Ryder Cup hopefuls to Saturday foursome regulars: the game is decided on the greens.
