Imago
Source: Sam Burns Instagram
Imago
Source: Sam Burns Instagram
Sam Burns’s rise in the PGA Tour has never been his solo journey. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native who became a star on the PGA Tour came from a close-knit family that took him to junior tournaments, argued about football versus golf, and showed up in full force when he finally made it to the big stage. Todd and Beth Burns have been there for every birdie putt and every trophy. Here is a closer look at the parents who helped make one of the most well-known names on Tour today.
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Who are Sam Burns’s parents?
Sam Burns’s father, Todd Burns, was the one who set the tone for sports in the house. He played college football at Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s for Billy Brewer, who was the coach at the time. Todd started a business career in Shreveport after football. He started Time-It Lube, a quick-lube chain that grew to 28 locations in Louisiana and eastern Texas over the course of 30 years. He sold the company to Valvoline in early 2017.
When the deal was announced, Todd said, “When you have worked 30 years, basically your entire working life, to build an organization, it and all of its people become like family.” With the business sold, Todd has been able to travel with Sam to tournaments far more freely than before.
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Beth Burns is the mother of Sam Burns. She grew up loving Friday night football and fully expected Sam to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother Chase, who also played football at Louisiana Tech. When Sam started gravitating toward golf, Beth was not immediately on board. She came around, going on the road with Sam’s junior golf circuit and writing a “Mom’s Blog” for The Times during his PGA Tour debut week.
Sam is the youngest of three children. His older sister Tori Burns and older brother Chase Burns have equally played their part in his journey. It was actually Chase who handed a four-year-old Sam an 8-iron in the backyard in spring 2001 and gave him his first-ever golf lesson. Chase asked him to keep his left arm straight; Sam swung, and the ball went 70 yards in the air with a clean draw. Chase and Todd reportedly looked at each other and thought the same thing: the golf gods had blessed little Sam.
Where did Beth Burns and Todd Burns meet?
In the early 1980s, Beth and Todd Burns met while they were both students at Louisiana Tech University. At the time, Todd played football for the Bulldogs, and Beth admitted that she loved the excitement of college football. They met on the campus of Louisiana Tech in Ruston, and they stayed in touch.
They built their life together in Shreveport, raised three children, and ran a household where Friday night football was a religion. Both Todd and Chase played football at Louisiana Tech, the same school where Todd and Beth first met. Golf broke that chain, but the foundation they built in Ruston gave Sam the stability to chase a different path.
What is the ethnicity of Sam Burns’s parents?
Sam Burns’s parents, Todd and Beth Burns, are American and have strong ties to the South, especially Louisiana.
Their background shows that they come from a culture where family traditions and shared moments are important. Sam’s own glimpses into their life off the course make this clear. The golfer has shared glimpses of their celebrations on Instagram over the years.
A March 2016 Easter post showed the whole family dressed up together, captioned “Happy Easter with the fam.” A Thanksgiving post from Caspiana, Louisiana, showed the extended family gathered outdoors, with Sam writing, “Rednecks do Thanksgiving, thankful for my people.” The family also made a trip together to Cabo San Lucas for a golf week with the LSU men’s golf team, documented with a group photo at Querencia Golf and Club.
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Sam Burns’s relationship with his parents
When Sam Burns won the 2021 Valspar Championship, both Todd and Beth were there. After the round, Sam said, “To have my parents here, they sacrificed so much for me growing up, taking me to golf tournaments and letting me pursue my dream, really cool.”
Todd ran a 28-location business and still showed up to watch Sam compete. Beth made road trips and turned into the kind of golf mom she never expected to be. Another Shreveport golf parent had to convince Todd to allow Sam to compete outside of Louisiana. Neither of them pushed golf on Sam. It developed on its own.
With the business sold, both parents now travel with Sam regularly. Sam is married to Caroline Campbell, and the two have a son named Bear. The family Todd and Beth built in Shreveport a long time ago is the foundation everything else is sitting on.
Written by
Edited by
Riya Singhal