Childhood friends Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns have both ascended the ranks to become PGA Tour winners – but their friendship was massively put to the test in 2021
Sam Burns and Scottie Scheffler are close friends on the PGA Tour(Image: Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler and his wife reached out to PGA Tour star Sam Burns for a lengthy phone call after an awkward Ryder Cup incident threatened to “ruin” their friendship. World No. 1 Scheffler has been friends with the 22nd-ranked Burns since their teenage years. Their shared journey to stardom on the PGA Tour has only strengthened their bond.
Burns, 29, hails from Louisiana and was even the best man at Scheffler’s wedding when he married Meredith Scudder in December 2020. Their families have become close over the years, sharing rental homes at numerous tour stops, holidaying together, and even hosting couples’ board game nights.
But their close friendship, which is more like family, was threatened by an awkward and unusual scenario back in 2021. Both players were in the running for the final Ryder Cup roster spot, but US Captain Steve Stricker decided to snub five-time PGA Tour winner Burns, phoning him to inform him he wouldn’t be on the team.
The spot went to Scheffler, who had not yet claimed a victory on the tour. But rather than letting the awkwardness and any bad feelings linger, the Texan and his wife made the classy move to call his long-time friend, talking for half an hour while processing their emotions.
“That can ruin a friendship if it’s not something that’s talked about,” Scheffler later admitted. Burns recalled: “Me, Caroline, Scottie and Meredith spent a long time on a phone call with these weird emotions of like, man, I am really sad but also happy for him. If it had been someone else, I would have been more disappointed that I wasn’t on the team.”
The decision turned out to be the right one, as Scheffler went on to defeat then-world No. 1 Jon Rahm in the US victory. Since then, Scheffler has been on an upward trajectory, clinching four majors and becoming the most dominant golfer since Tiger Woods.
The 29-year-old has held the world’s No. 1 ranking since May 2023, making his current streak at the top the longest since Woods’ from June 2005 to October 2010.
Scheffler and his wife Meredith spend a lot of time with the Burns family(Image: Getty Images)
However, his meteoric rise hasn’t affected their friendship, with Scheffler giving a sneak peek into what their morning routine would look like ahead of this year’s US Open at Oakmont.
Scheffler said: “The conversation in the morning will be that we’ll just hang out, there will be our two little kids running around. There’s nothing crazy, there’s not much to say.
“Sam has been preparing for moments like this for a long time and he’s put himself into a position to win the golf tournament. He’s going to go out and try to execute. At the end of the day, all he’s going to do is try to do his best and that’s what I’m going to do tomorrow as well.”
Burns remains a proud friend, having watched Scheffler’s remarkable achievements from up close. Aside from being Scheffler’s biggest supporter on the fairways, he has also benefitted by receiving advice from the golfing powerhouse.
Burns explained earlier this year: “Scottie is obviously an incredible player, I don’t think I need to say that. We spend a lot of time together and being able to talk to him, learn from him and ask him questions has been really cool.
“As good of a player he is, he’s an even better guy and I think that’s what makes it really special to watch, you want to root for someone like that. He’s an easy guy to root for. It’s been nice to pick his brain and ask him certain things.”
When asked whether he’d felt slightly envious of Scheffler’s achievements, Burns candidly responded: “Of course, as a competitor, that’s why we show up to play and we play to win. Watching him have success brings me a lot of joy.
“Him, his wife Meredith and son Bennett, they are an unbelievable family and it’s been such a joy to watch how they steward that success to others around them. The amount of respect we have for them is very high.”
While Scheffler delivered a stunning performance to claim his first Claret Jug by four shots at Royal Portrush last week, Burns ended up T45 after posting one-under.