Is Sam Burns Related To Arnold Palmer?

Is Sam Burns related to Arnold Palmer? Is Sam Burns Arnold Palmer’s grandson?

Introduction

No golfer in history can match the star power and longevity of Arnold Palmer. 

His decades-long career has cemented him in the annals of sports history as one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, and rumors abound concerning his descendants. 

So which members of the current crop of PGA Tour stars can claim descent from the great Arnold Palmer? 

Over the past few years, Sam Burns has made a name for himself on the pro circuit, and many people have tried to connect him to Palmer. 

Are they related? 

Read on to find out!

Who is Sam Burns?

Samuel Holland Burns was born on July 23, 1996, in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

His parents’ names are Todd and Beth, and they sent him to Calvary Baptist Academy for his schooling. 

While at school, he played golf and won the individual state championship three times. His skills developed quickly, and in 2014 the AJGA named him the Rolex Junior Player of the Year. 

Burns grew as an athlete, attending Louisiana State University and winning several tournaments. 

He was an All-American and the 2016-2017 NCAA Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year. These accolades landed him a spot on the U.S. National Team that won the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup.

Sam has three professional wins under his belt since making his professional debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2017. 

On April 1, 2018, his first victory took place at the Savannah Golf Championship. 

He birdied all three of the last holes to beat Roberto Castro by one stroke. Then, on May 2, 2021, he won the Valspar Championship by three strokes, defeating Keegan Bradley. Then, on October 3 that year, he beat Nick Watney and Cameron Young by one stroke to win the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Burns is very private in his personal life, though he has a social media presence. 

He often posts about his devout Christianity and prefers to think of golf as his job and being a Christian as who he is. 

Sam is married to his wife, Caroline. 

The couple is from the same town, and they met when they were just five years old. 

They grew up attending school and church together, and Caroline was always a fan of sports. 

She was a track and field athlete through high school. 

Caroline has supported Sam in his amateur and professional career, and they got married in December of 2019. 

Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Caroline prefers the limelight, so there is little information about their personal life.

According to the Official World Golf Ranking, Sam consistently ranks in the top 20. 

At 25 years old, it looks like Sam has a great career ahead of him. His early success has given rise to rumors that he is the grandson of Arnold Palmer. 

The age difference is sufficient to make this a plausible arrangement, but is it true?

Who was Arnold Palmer?

Arnold Daniel Palmer lived from September 10, 1929, to September 25, 2016. 

He was born and raised in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a steel town with a working-class population.  Golf was in his family, and Arnold’s father, Milfred, maintained Latrobe Country Club.  The young Arnold accompanied his father to work often and fell in love with the sport at a very young age. 

Arnold went to Wake Forest College after earning himself a golf scholarship. 

Still, he did not graduate, leaving school and joining the U.S. Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954. 

While stationed at the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey, Palmer built a nine-hole course on the property and continued to practice.  He returned to college after his enlistment ended and began golfing competitively. 

Many observers knew that Arnold was destined for greatness. 

Some said they could feel the Earth shake when he drove the ball. But, true or not, he announced his intention to go professional in 1954 and wasted no time garnering accolades. 

He won the Canadian Open in his rookie season and proved to have a lot of charisma on the course. 

Palmer would lay the groundwork for the popularity golf would later enjoy as a televised sport. 

In the meantime, he won his first major at the 1958 Masters Tournament.

Arnold Palmer’s career was long and successful. 

He won seven major championships, including the Masters Tournament (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), The U.S. Open (1960), and The British Open (1961, 1962). 

Before Palmer’s victories in the British Open, many American golfers did not play golf overseas. 

Still, Palmer’s star power drew attention to the historic British courses and championships that are now well-attended by golfers from around the world. 

Arnold married his wife Winnie in 1934, and the couple remained together until she died in 1999, a 45-year storybook marriage. 

The couple had two daughters, and their grandson Sam has grown into a successful professional golfer. 

After Winnie’s death, Arnold remarried in 2005, tying the knot with Kathleen Gawthrop. 

Arnold Palmer was a legendary golfer and a philanthropist, author, and pilot. 

He overcame an early fear of flying to become an accomplished amateur pilot. 

The airport where he learned to fly is just outside Latrobe, PA, where Arnold grew up. 

In 1999, the airport changed its name from Westmoreland County Airport to Arnold Palmer Regional in honor of the sports legend.

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Are Sam Burns and Arnold Palmer related?

Arnold Palmer has a grandson who plays golf professionally.  His name is Sam Saunders, not Sam Burns.  Sam Burns and Arnold Palmer are not related in any way; however, the success of the young Burns suggests that he will continue to develop into one of the greats of his generation. 

In time, he may even win as many majors as Arnold Palmer. 

Time will tell, but for now, the rumors that he inherited his golf skills from Arnold Palmer need to be put to rest. 

Perhaps Sam Burns and Sam Saunders will develop a rivalry as they progress through their careers. 

We will have to wait and see.

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