“Well, yeah, obviously I wish I could shoot 64 every day,” he said. “But that just doesn’t happen. I think the biggest thing for me, especially this week with it hot and humid, I just need to be rested, hydrated and focused out there. I think that’s the challenge.”
Burns had a plan for keeping his edge in the conditions.
“Just getting a nap this afternoon,” he said.
If Burns can continue his current stellar play and contend for the FedEx Cup playoff title, which would earn him $15 million, he might be a contender for the 12-man American Ryder Cup team to be named after next week’s season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta. Burns is currently 17th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. Steve Stricker, the captain of the United States team, will make six selections while the top six players in the standings — based on a points system related to recent results — will automatically qualify. A hot golfer, albeit one lacking experience in international play, is always a temptation for a Ryder Cup captain.
“Captain Stricker can go whatever route he wants, so it’s not all necessarily in my control,” Burns said Thursday. “I’m just going to go out and try to play the best golf I can. If it works out, incredible. If it doesn’t, I’ll be rooting hard for the team.”