Sam Burns Was The Best Putter On Tour In 2025—3 Things You Can Copy

If you want one stat that explains Sam Burns’ 2025 season, here it is:

He ranked first on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting (0.983).

He also finished:

• Fourth in Putts Per Round (27.96)
• Eighth in One-Putt Percentage (43.32%)
• Third in Three-Putt Avoidance (1.60%)

Burns separated himself from other Tour players because he’s finding putter success week in and week out. And when you listen to him talk about putting, there’s nothing complicated about what he prioritizes.

1. He cares more about speed than you do

Burns describes himself as more of a “dead-weight” putter, especially on fast greens. He isn’t trying to hit putts firm. His putts tend to roll in with controlled pace rather than crashing into the back of the cup.

Most amateur golfers spend far more time worrying about break than they do about pace. They read it from three angles, second-guess the slope and then hit it six feet by.

You don’t get the one-putt rate he has and a top three in three-putt avoidance without controlling speed.

For amateurs, the takeaway is that your focus can shift to speed control (and a little away from green reading) and you may see more success on the greens.

2. He simplifies the stroke

If you watch Sam Burns putt, you’ll see his motion is very consistent and simple. His head stays steady through impact and the tempo is the same back and through. You’ll notice very little wrist motion and no visible “hit” at the ball.

When he talked about practice in the video with the Bryan Brothers, he mentioned hitting 50 to 100 putts on a chalk line. He practices on the line to make sure his start line is consistent.

Amateurs miss short putts because the putter face is unstable at impact. That’s usually because their hands are getting involved at the wrong time. The next time you work on your putting, try to eliminate the “hit” at impact. Set up a line for yourself and focus on simply keeping wrist action minimal and starting the ball on the line.

3. He practices with structure but plays with feel

This is the most important takeaway for me. Burns is an AimPoint guy. He is very aware of slope and he’s obviously good at green reading. He mentioned that he does not blindly follow a number if his eyes and feel say something different.

There’s a point for every golfer, be it on the range or the putting green, when mechanics can get in the way. Burns goes through his process and prepares but when it’s time to make a putt, he focuses on a start spot a few inches in front of the ball and rolls it over that point.

That’s a simple, repeatable cue and something most amateur players don’t do.

Final thoughts

When Sam Burns played against the Bryan Brothers, he shared some good facts. It takes time to be great at putting but if you start with the basics of speed control and start line, you’ll be well on your way.