Key elements behind the best putters at the U.S. Open

Welcome to play Smart, a regular Golf.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter and better golfer.

Last summer, Sam Burns ranked 10 in Oakmont this week in second place. He also achieved similar success.

Burns played a low title in the early wave of the second round as he scored six birdies on the way to a 65-shot low. The game pushed the 28-year-old into the rankings and entered the top five as the afternoon storm battles to lay off staff.

“For this golf course, you really just have to release it,” Burns said. “It’s hard to guide it here. You’re going to hit some in rough places, you’re going to hit some in some bad attractions, and you’d better do it with authority.”

Burns obviously rocked this week, but it was his flat strategy that was his ultimate weapon. The five-time winner leads the PGA Tour this season with SG: Putting, and the sweet stroke translates well in Oakmont as he ranks in the top 30 in shooting percentage this week.

So, what makes Burns such a great putt? After the second round, we gained some insight.

Key elements of Burns to achieve good putts

If you watch the burns on the green, you will notice that his approach is not overly analyzed. While some players are very organized when it comes to putting (think Bryson DeChambeau), Burns feels more focused.

“I think he plays golf very freely and his putting instinct is very good, and a lot of it is just very reactionary,” said Scottie Scheffler, one of Burns’ best friends. “He has a good basics, his instincts are good, his reactionary nature is very offensive. It’s really all, it’s as simple as that.”

It can be tempting to become very rigid when you have a putter in your hand, but bad things tend to happen when you start overanalyzing. With Burns’ approach, everything is based on trusting his technique and using the feeling to put the ball into the hole.

“I’m trying to make it very simple,” Burns said. “I think if you look at the placement, the ball rolls on the ground. There are a lot of imperfect things in the grass on the grass. The ball can do a lot of different lines with speed, so if you try to make it too crazy, I’m just trying to actually read it and put it on the speed and hope to put it into practice and hope to put it into practice.”

If you’re someone struggling on the green, borrowing a page from Burns’ book might be for you. Dial in your practice green technology, but don’t be too stiff once you get into the course. Change to movement and reaction.

So far, it seems to have done well for the demonic American open vegetables. It’s very likely to be useful to you.