Sungjae Im, Chad Ramey share lead at Shriners Children’s Open

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Nate Lashley … At the risk of getting dramatic, this could be the first of two career-defining weeks for the 36-year-old. While he’s set for Playoffs eligibility via conditional status at worst for the remainder of this season, he has two starts to burn via a medical extension. Should he finish no worse than solo 34th at Bay Hill, he’d meet the terms of the medical and rise into the Major Medical category, thus securing a full-time schedule for 2018-19. That result also would trigger a spot in next week’s PLAYERS, which, of course, is the PGA TOUR’s richest tournament with a prize fund of $12.5 million. When a T8 in Puerto Rico lifted him inside the bubble to qualify for his debut in the limited field at Bay Hill, he opted for rest after committing to The Honda Classic, so all of the stars are aligned. In the vacuum of results and analytics, he’s 6-for-6 this season with an average finish a shade better than 27th place, and he’s 23rd in greens hit, fifth in proximity and T20 in strokes gained: putting, so he just needs to remain on his trajectory. Brian Gay … For what he lacks in distance off the tee, he more than makes up for on the greens. In fact, the 47-year-old leads the PGA TOUR in strokes gained: putting. So much for old-man nerves setting in. He’s 10-for-11 this season with four top 25s, the most recent of which last week at PGA National where he was perfect on 57 chances from nine feet and in, 22 of which were from outside three feet. Before you dismiss him at Bay Hill where bombers crowd the leaderboard, consider that three of his 10 cuts made on the course went for a top 25. That includes a T22 last year. Luke List … Because he’s 34 years of age and because he’s still chasing his first PGA TOUR victory, it can be easy to forget that he’s among his generation as one of the longest off the tee. So, while his inconsistency over time relegates his expectations to that of a moving target, he was a fixture of success in both previous trips to Bay Hill. In 2017, he finished T17 that included a bonus of ranking 14th in strokes gained: putting. Last year, slotted third in strokes gained: tee-to-green en route to a T7. Talor Gooch … He’s been all or nothing this season, but that’s one way to succeed with conditional status. All four of his cuts made in eight starts have gone for a top 20 – two were top fives – and he’s 43rd in the FedExCup. Fresh off a T20 at The Honda Classic where he co-led the field in greens in regulation and ranked T3 in par-5 scoring. For the season, he’s 19th in adjusted scoring. Opened strong in his first appearance at Bay Hill last year with respective rounds of 65 and 70 before fading into a T26. J.T. Poston … The 25-year-old is following a natural progression as a third-year member of the PGA TOUR. As a sophomore on conditional status last year, he qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in 22 starts, a feat more difficult to achieve than most understand. Now 59th in the FedExCup with four top 25s among eight paydays this season, he’s making his debut at Bay Hill where his knack for scoring on the par 5s and putting can make noise. Currently T18 in par-5 scoring and inside the top third in strokes gained: putting. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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JACKSON, Miss. – Sam Burns described the phone call from Steve Stricker with the news he wasn’t selected for the 2021 Ryder Cup as “gut-wrenching.” He channeled that energy into the best season of his career. The week after that Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, a determined Burns won the Sanderson Farms Championship, two hours down the road from his residence in small-town Choudrant, Louisiana. It was his first of three PGA TOUR titles last season, and his Presidents Cup status wasn’t in question; he earned one of six automatic selections on the U.S. Team, which defeated the International Team by a 17.5-12.5 margin last week at Quail Hollow Club. Burns carded 22 under at last year’s Sanderson Farms Championship for a one-stroke victory over Cameron Young and Nick Watney. He’s 1-for-1 in successful title defenses on TOUR, winner of the 2021 and 2022 Valspar Championship, and he’ll aim to maintain that trend this week at the Country Club of Jackson. “Last year, one of my biggest goals was to make that (Ryder Cup) team,” Burns said Wednesday morning in Mississippi. “Definitely it was a bummer not to be on that team. But coming to this past year, I knew I really wanted to be on the Presidents Cup team, and it was good to have that experience. It was incredible. “Now my goal is to try to be on the next Ryder Cup team.” Burns was lively in Sunday night’s U.S. Team victory press conference, at one point yelling across the stage, “We love you, Max!” as Max Homa reflected on developing a bond with his teammates throughout Presidents Cup week. Burns relishes the team environment, but he cherishes his alone time as well. The TOUR’s traveling-circus vibe contrasts sharply with his adopted hometown of Choudrant, which recorded a population of just 1,458 in 2020. After Sunday night’s pageantry in North Carolina, Burns headed home for some R&R before revving up for his title defense. He made a trip to the grocery store and dined in at Chick-fil-A. “Out here, sometimes it feels like you live two lives,” Burns said Wednesday. “You’re out here on the road playing, and then you go home and see friends and people that you don’t get to see as much. Being able to go home and just relax and go wander around the grocery store and pick up a few things that my wife needed, and no one said anything to me or anything like that, was really nice. “I went to Chick-fil-A yesterday by myself and sat in the dining room. It was great. I just love being able to go back to a small town and hang out and … they obviously care and they support me, but they don’t care that I play on the PGA TOUR. They like me for who I am, I guess.” Burns’ first pro start on TOUR came at the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship. Competing on a sponsor exemption, between First and Second Stages of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, he made the cut and finished T43. He proceeded to navigate all three Q-School stages to earn Korn Ferry Tour starts, won the 2018 Club Car Championship en route to his first TOUR card, and has proceeded on a consistent upward trajectory. The five-year anniversary of his foray into professional golf presented opportunity for reflection. Two weeks prior to the 2017 Sanderson Farms Championship, Burns made his professional debut at a mini-tour event in Brownwood, Texas. He carded a four-round total of 29 under at the APT’s Fore the Kids event. He finished runner-up. He remembers it like it was yesterday. “Yeah, 29 under and I didn’t win,” Burns said Wednesday. “But I remember making $10,000, and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to spend all this money. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it all.’ “But it went fast. I didn’t really know what to expect with pro golf. I had some expectations built up in my head, and I didn’t expect to shoot 29 under in my first event and not win. I can tell you that.” Fast forward five years, and Burns says the time has flown by. He’s a four-time TOUR winner and has ascended to No. 12 on the Official World Golf Ranking. He was blown away by the crowd’s energy throughout the week in Charlotte, and he’s hungry for more team experiences. That means continuing to compete at the highest level on a consistent basis, and maximizing his opportunities in contention. He has shown a resolute ability to deliver, like at last year’s Sanderson Farms Championship, where he made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine Sunday to assume control. He’s hungry for the event’s famed Reveille the Rooster trophy once again, and he begins the week in Mississippi as the betting favorite. “Just trying to think about and reflect on the last year, it just seems like this year went really fast, and then I think about the previous years, and it’s like, ‘Where has the time gone?’” Burns said. “But it’s definitely something that I don’t take for granted. I’m very honored that I get to play golf for a living, and I get to do it on the best TOUR in the world. I try to make sure that I’m keeping that in the forefront of my mind.” If the past five years are any clue, the outlook for the next five is limitless.

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