Head-turning Sam Burns is among four rookies on Zach Johnson’s USA Ryder Cup team, and chosen by Johnson also as one of six ‘wildcard’ picks.

Burns, 27, earned his selection on the back of a strong PGA Tour season that included winning on the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and his fifth PGA Tour title in March.

The Louisanna golfer also knows how to win at team level being a member of last year’s victorious USA Presidents Cup side.

However, it is Burns’ Cam Smith-looking ‘mullet’ haircut, and with the letters ‘USA’ cut into his hairline, that has fans and the European media in particular, attracted to the American when he attended a Ryder Cup press conference earlier today.

American Ryder Cup rookie Sam Burns sporting a Cam Smith style ‘Mullett’ haircut but with the initials ‘USA’ cut into his hairline – Photo Getty

“Just I haven’t cut the back,” said a smiling Burns.

Burns revealed it was one of his buddies who carved the letters with a straight razor.

“When you start shaving things into the side of your head, you’re kind of asking for it, I guess,” Burns said. “But it’s been fun.”

So much fun, it had team-mate Brooks Koepka scratching his own head as to why Burns had ‘USA’ inscribed into the side of his head.

“Sam has got a nice Kentucky waterfall going,” Koepka said. “It’s pretty solid, although the ‘USA’ that’s inscribed in the side of his head, I don’t know if he was doing that looking in a mirror because ‘USA’ doesn’t look the best, but it makes it even better.”

While it seems all good fun for Burns there was the bitter disappointment of two years ago when 2021 USA captain Steve Stricker phoned him that to advise he wasn’t being picked for his Whistling Straits side, and this after Burns has won four times on the PGA Tour from early May 2021 to late May 2022.

There was also the earlier blow when Burns, as the then reigning Nicklaus Award winner as the national player of the year in college golf, was snubbed for the 2017 Walker Cup selection.

So, imagine his joy in receiving a call from Johnson to say he was taking him to Rome.

“It was a lot better phone call from Zach than the other one,” said Burns.

“Yeah, it was really special. Coming into this year, making this team was very high on my goal list I guess you could call it. After the Tour Championship, I wasn’t really sure. I knew I was close and thought it could go a couple different ways.”

And Burns was asked in his ‘presser’ that he seems to have played better ‘with a chip on his shoulder’ during the 2023 USA Ryder Cup qualifying process given being overlooked two years earlier for Whistling Straits.

“Yeah, I mean, I would say it is nice to try and play with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder,” he said. “I think it’s easy to find different types of motivation, and I think coming into this week, for us, I feel like we have nothing to lose.

“We haven’t won over here in 30 years. We’re looking forward to the challenge.

“I know the European team is going to be tough. There’s a lot of talent on that team, and they really want to win over here, and so do we.

“I think it’s going to be hopefully a great match”.