Whether you’re naming a band or a horse, it must be so fun to come up with the right moniker. (S/o Band of Horses.) Known Agenda, Essential Quality, Soup and Sandwich, and Midnight Bourbon were all in the Kentucky Derby field this weekend! Anyways, let’s talk golf.

Anotha one

The immortal words of DJ Khaled rang through Innisbrook Resort on Sunday as Sam Burns collected his first PGA Tour victory at the Valspar Championship. Starting the day in the lead for the ninth time this season, Burns fired a 68 to earn the three-shot win over Keegan Bradley. Results

Given the depth of young talent on the PGA Tour, it’s easy for someone who has “underachieved” to get lost in the shuffle. Sam Burns was an elite amateur and had a strong start to his pro career, but it took him longer to break through than it did for Collin Morikawa, Sungjae Im, and Viktor Hovland. Still, at just 24 years old, Burns is certainly one of the top young talents in the men’s game.

This season, he has been in position to win multiple times, but it wasn’t until yesterday that he put it all together. With a brilliant birdie on the 16th hole, he established a four-shot cushion and cruised home from there.

Solid off the tee and on the greens, Burns has been plagued early in his career by inconsistent iron play. Since the pandemic shutdown, however, his approach play has improved, and his results have become more consistent: nine top 25s and three top 10s since last summer. A few months shy of his 25th birthday, Burns now appears to have a mature game. He’s not just a bomber who gets hot with the putter once in a while; he has a diversified skill set. If he can keep up his quality iron plan, Sam Burns will be a force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour for years to come.

Quick Hooks

Viktor Hovland (T-3 at Valspar) now has seven worldwide top-10 finishes since November. He’s up to No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 3 in the FedEx Cup.

Hyo Joo Kim caught fire on Saturday and came from behind to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship on the LPGA Tour. The leading money winner on the Korean LPGA Tour in 2020, Kim hadn’t won on the LPGA Tour since 2016, when she was just 20 years old. Results

Paul Barjon needed three extra holes to knock off Billy Kennerly and Mito Pereira at the Huntsville Championship for his first career Korn Ferry Tour victory. A graduate of the 2019 Mackenzie Tour class, Barjon now has a win and three runner-ups in his 2020-21 campaign, all but assuring him a PGA Tour card. Results

Thanks to a final-round 62, Dean Burmester blitzed the European Tour field at the Tenerife Open. His five-shot victory is the second win of his European Tour career. Results

Mike Weir notched his first PGA Tour Champions victory on Sunday at the Insperity Invitational. It’s Weir’s first win on any tour since 2007. Results

Consistently ranked the No. 1 course in America by golf magazines, Pine Valley announced that the club will begin to accept women members. Currently, women are allowed to play the course only as guests after 12 p.m. on Sunday. Full Story from Josh Sens

We can pretty much guarantee you’ve never seen someone do this at a driving range.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Shotgun Start: A big day for BAW golf, Pine Valley maneuvers, and centerline flagpoles

This Monday episode gets back to some SGS roots, with a quick and unprepared whip around the results from the weekend in the golf world. It really, actually is a short one. They begin with the Valspar, where Sam Burns broke through for what could be the first of many wins on the PGA Tour. The dump in the cup award is back, as is the second edition of Thirstbucket of the Week. Other topics hit on are Keegan scraping it and Tringale closing in on a career achievement. Dean Burmester is mentioned and the Tenerife event is given a poor grade. The back half is a ramble on the giant flag in the center of a fairway at the new Jack Nicklaus course, as well as the general costs of giant flags. News hits on Pine Valley changing its policy to admit women members, and a potential angle for such a move. Lastly, all SGS merch will be 20 percent off through Monday night. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

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In celebration of the Bears not screwing up their first-round pick in the NFL Draft, Andy and Brendan put all Shotgun Start merchandise on sale through Monday. Save 20% automatically at checkout!