By Teddy Allen, Designated Writer

Sam Burns is supposed to be a junior at LSU this year, but instead of studying for a finance test and preparing for an SEC golf tournament, Sunday he found himself walking down the No. 1 fairway with Tiger Woods in the final round of the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Not 50 yards from the No. 1 box, walking toward their tee shots, Burns said to Tiger, a guy he’s played dozens of times before in video games, “Man, it’s crazy all these people who came out to watch me today, isn’t it?”

(Let’s hear it for manners. Wit. Confidence. Good upbringing in the home.)

That got a laugh from Tiger and a pat on the back from the four-time Masters champion for Burns, who told CBS that Woods encouraged him all day as the reigning Jack Nicklaus Award winner shot a Sunday round of 68 and finished with a 2-under 278, tied for 8th in the tournament and good for an invitation to play in the Valspar PGA Tournament March 8-11 near Tampa.

Woods shot an even-par 70 Sunday and finished even for the tournament. A double on 15 and a bogey on 16 got him; Burns parred both. (Think about that from Sam’s point of view: You’re standing on the green on 15 after you’re safely on the green and after Woods has hit in the water, and you’re waiting for him to hit up from the drop area. Sports is…you just never know.)

Woods has won 14 majors. Sunday was the 14th pro round for Burns, 21, who graduated from Calvary Baptist and was All-America at LSU before turning pro after his sophomore season.

“I think he was comfortable with Tiger,” Brad Pullin, Sam’ coach and the head professional at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant, said. “They talked all day long. Tiger really was encouraging to him. The guys tell me that Tiger is embracing more of a mentor role to some of the younger guys; he showed that with Sam today.

“For Sam to be bogey free on a course set up with that kind of trouble, that’s a real test for anyone at any stage of their career, and that says a lot about Sam’s game,” Pullin said. “Lot of wind out there and water on—what is it, 16 of 18 holes?—you’ve got to commit to where you are trying to hit the ball. Sam has that sort of control, and when he’s confident and controlling himself like he did today, he’s a stud.”

(Later this week: More from Pullin and from Team Burns. By the way, Sam has made more than a quarter-million on the PGA Tour this year; not bad since he’s not even a member of it.)

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