The scorching heat fueled frustration at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Yet again, another player broke his club at Memphis in the penultimate round. Sam Burns entered the TPC Southwind on Saturday with a solo third position. By the time he had reached the par-4 ninth hole, he was just two shots away from the leader and teeing off partner Hideki Matsuyama.

A rough round for Burns—the bogey on the first hole is a clear indicator of that. By the time the 28-year-old reached the eighth hole on the front nine, he had another bogey added to his score card and the PGA Tour pro was not happy about it. Frustration was evident and the crowd soon witnessed it on the 9th hole when Burns slammed his driver into the turf. The result? Its head broke, and the club was left in two halves. Now, according to the PGA Tour official rules, as confirmed by Mark Dusbabek, a club cannot be replaced as long as it is not damaged by an outside influence, natural forces, or someone other than the player.

Breaking it in anger does not count, of course. He was left without a driver in the field. The PGA Tour took to their official X account and shared snippets of the entire outburst and wrote, “After an errant tee shot on No. 9, Sam Burns breaks his driver and will be without it for the back nine.” The 28-year-old has now dropped down to the fourth position, giving way to Nick Dunlap and Viktor Hovland, tying with Scottie Scheffler at 10-under. They are seven strokes away from Matsuyama.

Despite the disappointing performances, including carding a total of five bogeys and a double bogey, he finished with a pretty impressive finish on August 17. However, this did not impress the fans at all.

The golf community left frustrated with Sam Burns recent outbursts in Memphis

The American professional golfer is currently ranked 29th in the FedEx Cup standings. However, in season 2024, the Louisiana native has failed to secure a single victory, which undeniably could add stress and frustration. Well, this is not the first time he has let out his anger on the course.

He has been struggling with his form through all four majors. As he entered Royal Troon on Sunday, he was so flustered that Burns just rushed out of the course. He did not answer any TV reporters or written press questions. This was already very rude of him. However, back then, he made it up with a sweet gesture by signing a ball for a volunteer who came up to his car.

But at Memphis, there was no redemption show for him as fans dubbed his behavior at the TPC Southwind unprofessional and left comments like, “Some anger management couldn’t hurt”.  Sam Burns has finished in the top 10 only six times in his eighteen starts this season. Although his performance has yet to stand out, he has still managed to make the headlines. Taking to this, another wrote, “He has no ability and has such a bad temper. Shame on him”.

After breaking his driver, the next shot he took was not that impressive, as he punched the second shot 65 yards into the fairway, leaving him 110 yards to the hole, which almost landed in a hazard. He then chunked his chip shot, and his ball came back down the bank, back to him. By the time he completed the hole, Burns was left with a double bogey on the course.

Taking to the entire mishap on the 9th hole, one of them, completely confused, questioned, “Where exactly was he trying to hit the ball”.

Furthermore, despite the performances of the players throughout the season, these last three weeks will play a significant role in deciding the final season standings; even Patrick Cantlay agrees. Only the top 70 people can enter the first tournament of the FedEx Players, ultimately just 30 players heading to the Tour Championship to lift the trophy for the player of the season.

However, with outbursts like this, Sam Burns might end up risking his last and only chance at a victory this season. Highlighting the importance of being part of the ultimate field, one of them reminded him, “Erm not the smartest thing to do when you are in the FedEx Cup playoff ⛳️”.

Well, Sam Burns was not the only player who expressed his frustration at the TPC Southwest. The Florida heat has only been rising through the days, just like what happened last year at the St. Jude Championship. The heat index has been above 100 degrees through the three days, with Saturday being the highest (111 degrees).

This is the third or fourth player to slam his club down in frustration this tournament. Memphis heat has to be brutal. During the opening round, it was World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler who lost his calm as he was forced to swing his club from the bunker after a cranked shot from the greens. He slammed his club into the sand. Taking to this, a fan exaggerated the incidents and wrote, “This is the 3rd or 4th player to slam his club down in frustration this tournament. Memphis heat has to be brutal”.

From former leader Chris Kirk to Burns himself, the players have expressed the difficulties of playing in such heated temperatures. Nonetheless, the show must go on!