Sam Burns is heading into the 2026 BMW Championship with plenty on his mind — but, perhaps more importantly, plenty of confidence behind him.
Just days before teeing it up at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, the five-time PGA TOUR winner traded his tournament prep for a different kind of golf day, teaming up with Raising Cane’s on Tuesday (August 18) to give back to local youth and share a little of what he’s learned throughout his own journey in the sport.
Hosted at The Highlands Golf & Tennis, Burns spent the afternoon with kids from First Tee – Greater St. Louis and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis, helping with their swings, answering questions, taking photos and signing autographs before joining the Raising Cane’s team at the food truck to serve up Chicken Fingers, Cane’s Toast and plenty of “ONE LOVE” spirit.
For Burns, though, the afternoon was about much more than golf.
“It was a great turnout today and I was so honored to be with all the kids,” Burns said. “I had an absolute blast today sharing my passion and growing the game.”
The Louisiana native knows exactly what it feels like to be the kid standing on the other side of the ropes, watching a professional golfer and thinking they’re almost larger than life. During the event, Celeb Secrets asked Burns what it means to now find himself in that role for the next generation.
“It’s really cool,” he said. “When I look back to when I was a kid and watched the guys before me and people that I watched growing up, whether it was golf or other sports, a lot of times they seem like kind of bigger than life characters.”
But one of the things Burns loves most about golf is the access it can create.
“We get to be kind of one on one with people,” he continued. “Really you get to see that everyone’s just human and everyone’s not bigger than life characters. They’re real people, and you get to have interactions with them.”
For Burns, that realization came early. Growing up in Louisiana, he was fortunate enough to practice alongside PGA TOUR veteran David Toms. Burns still remembers watching Toms hit golf balls and absorbing every detail — even if, for Toms, it was simply another day at the course.
“I held onto everything he said and every move he made I tried to copy,” Burns recalled. “So, it’s cool for me to kind of look back on that and remember those days.”
Now, he gets to be that person for someone else. And if any of the kids he met Tuesday are hoping to “putt like Sam Burns,” his advice is pretty simple: prepare to work.
“It takes a lot of practice,” Burns said with a laugh.
Burns arrives at Bellerive ranked No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 8 in the FedExCup standings, earning his spot among the 50-player field competing in the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs. His 2026 resume already includes five top-10 finishes, a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and a memorable 62 at The Open at Royal Birkdale.
After a standout season, Burns told Celeb Secrets that his game feels like it is exactly where he wants it to be.
“I feel a bit older,” he joked when asked what feels different compared to last year’s playoff run. “But yeah, I think my game definitely feels like it’s in a good place.”
A few weeks at home before last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship gave him some valuable time to reset before the playoff push, and now the focus is squarely on Bellerive.
“I feel like I’m — you know, I have a lot of confidence right now,” Burns said. “I think it’s now a matter of the right preparation for this golf course this week and making sure I’m ready to go play on Thursday.”
The course itself will require plenty of that preparation. Burns only saw Bellerive’s back nine for the first time Tuesday, giving him just a short window to learn a course that stretches 7,448 yards and features expansive greens. With recent rain expected to leave the course playing softer, Burns already has a pretty clear idea of what will be key.
“It’s a really good golf course. It’s tough. It’s a big golf course. It’s long,” he explained. “So I think it’s just gonna be a combination of you have to drive the ball well.”
And then there are those greens.
“Really big putting surfaces, so you gotta hit it in the right spots and be able to lag put pretty well around there,” Burns said.
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After a brutally hot week in Memphis, Burns is also welcoming a little relief from the weather as he prepares for another demanding week.
“I think it’s a matter of making sure you’re getting plenty of rest and hydrating,” he said. “It’s definitely not a place you want to go play golf for three weeks straight, in that heat.”
Still, if there’s one thing Burns has learned this year, it’s how to keep perspective. That lesson has become even more important since he and his wife, Caroline, welcomed their second child, daughter Belle, on July 3. Their son, Bear, is now officially a big brother — and Burns has entered a new chapter of fatherhood while simultaneously navigating the most important stretch of the PGA TOUR season.
Celeb Secrets asked Burns whether becoming a dad has made him a better golfer, but the biggest change might be the perspective waiting for him at home after every round.
“Yeah, probably learning more patience,” he said. “Ultimately my kids don’t care if I go shoot 65 or 105. They’re just glad when I get home at the end of the day.”
“When I get off the golf course, just being able to be a dad and kind of leave work at home, or work at work,” he continued.
Burns’ relationship with Raising Cane’s founder and owner Todd Graves dates back to his days at LSU, and the friendship has grown into a partnership that extends far beyond the iconic Cane’s logo on Burns’ tournament apparel.
“I’ve gotten to know Todd pretty well the last few years, and we’ve come pretty close,” Burns said. “He’s such a down-to-earth person and kind of getting to learn his impact he has on other people and how far that goes in different communities.”
That impact was on full display in St. Louis, as the 30-year-old athlete gave young golfers the same kind of encouragement he once received that helps keep the sport moving forward.
“There’s so many people before me that have given back in this sport and given back to kids,” Burns said. “This is the future generation of our sport and the future generation of our country.”
“So I think it’s important that people kind of give back to what so many people before me did in this game and kind of share their passion for this game with the next generation.”
The BMW Championship begins Thursday, August 20, at Bellerive Country Club, where Burns will look to turn his impressive 2026 season into an even bigger postseason run. With only 50 players remaining and just 30 spots available for the TOUR Championship, every shot matters.
But if Burns’ mindset heading into St. Louis is any indication, he’s bringing something more valuable than a number next to his name. He’s bringing confidence, patience, perspective — and, presumably, a Box Combo or two.
For more coverage on Raising Cane’s, click here.
