Memorial contender hits similar tree TWICE for expensive crooked quantity

Sam Burns will begin the ultimate spherical of the 2026 Memorial Match with an out of doors probability for a comeback victory. However his activity could be far simpler had he not thrown away two pictures with a crooked quantity early Sunday morning.

The perpetrator? One of many many timber that border the fairways at Muirfield Village. That tree burned Burns not as soon as, however twice in a row in Spherical 3 to threaten his possibilities of profitable on Sunday.

Sam Burns hits tree with two straight pictures at 2026 Memorial

Spherical 3 play was suspended Saturday night time after storms triggered havoc all day. Burns was among the many majority of the sphere that wanted to return Sunday morning to complete the third spherical earlier than getting on to Spherical 4.

When Burns arrived at Muirfield’s par-5 eleventh gap early Sunday, he was one underneath on the spherical and 7 underneath for the event.

On the time, only a couple pictures separated the U.S. Ryder Cup staff member from J.T. Poston’s lead.

Issues began going awry rapidly at 11, when Burns misplaced his tee shot to the best. It ended up in deep tough, with a tree situated straight in entrance of him some 10 yards away.

Burns pulled an extended iron and deliberate to hit a robust punch to advance his ball up the green, giving him a shot on the inexperienced along with his third. He deliberate to ship his ball simply to the left of the tree’s trunk, and slightly below one in all its overhanging branches.

However his first try didn’t go to plan. His ball as an alternative slammed straight into the tree, bouncing backward and coming to relaxation not removed from its beginning place.

Microphones overheard Burns registering his shock that the ball got here out so excessive. Nonetheless, with a greater punch on strive No. 2, he might attain the inexperienced in 4 and doubtlessly save par.

However when Burns reeled again and swung for the second time, his ball caught the identical tree once more. This time it solely clipped the department then continued ahead… straight into the creek bisecting the eleventh fairway.