The inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games takes place Dec. 17 at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter in Jupiter, Florida. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will each captain a team in five innovative competitions in which players will battle each other and the clock.
Team Scheffler consists of Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns and Luke Clanton. Team McIlroy includes Luke Donald, Shane Lowry and Haotong Li.
Sam BurnsAge: 29Country: United StatesCareer PGA Tour: 5Majors: 02025 Highlights
Burns lost a playoff to Ryan Fox at the RBC Canadian Open but nearly won the U.S. Open the following week. Burns held the outright lead after Rounds 2 and 3 before running into trouble Sunday at Oakmont and shooting 78 to tie for fourth. He was a captain’s pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team thanks in part to his six top-10s on the season.
The inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games will include innovative competitions, two teams captained by the world’s top 2 players and timed competitions.
The Optum Golf Channel Games’ five competitions will test all aspects of a player’s game, including power, accuracy, short game and focus. Here’s a statistical look at Burns, including where his numbers rank among the eight players in the competition.
2025 PGA Tour stats (OGCG rank)Driving distance: 307.5 yards (4)Driving accuracy: 60.2% (5)Greens in regulation: 66.08% (6)Proximity to the hole: 37’5 (3)Scrambling: 60.28% (5)Sand saves: 63.03% (1)Putting >25 feet: 7.89% (2)Putting 10 feet: 48.15% (2)
