Sam Burns is one step closer to earning his PGA TOUR card through the Web.com Tour. The 21-year-old Burns carded a final-round 7-under 65 to win the inaugural Savannah Golf Championship, his maiden victory on Tour. The Shreveport, Louisiana native was the only player in the field to birdie the final three holes at Deer Creek Golf Course at The Landings Club on Sunday. Playing in the final group, he two-putted the par-5 18^th hole and posted 21-under-par 267, one-stroke lower than Roberto Castro, who tied the course record with an 8-under 64.

“Anytime you can get a win on any professional Tour, much less the Web.com Tour, it’s always a nice feeling,” said Burns, who picked up a first-place prize worth $99,000. “There are a lot of good competitors out here. I know that there’s no slacking off and I need to keep trying to play well and put myself in the right position.”

Burns is in the driver’s seat to earn one of 25 TOUR cards awarded in Portland later this year. With a total of $152,357 in earnings, the former Louisiana State University standout moved to No. 4 on the Regular Season money list. He’s now $53,252 behind money leader Sungjae Im and doesn’t intend on taking his foot off the gas.

“I have a lot of confidence going forward,” said Burns. “My game is good enough to win out here and I have the confidence to do that now.”

After opening the tournament with an even-par 72, Burns battled to get into contention. The Tour rookie enjoys the surprise each round holds and doesn’t let one off day affect his entire week.  

“Each day is a new day and each round is a new round,” said Burns, who made one eagle, 21 birdies and two bogeys in the last three rounds. “You kind of go out there and not know what to expect and try to play the best you can. Some days it’s good some days it’s not. It’s just one of those things where I was able to get hot for 54 holes and end up the champion this week.”

Burns became the seventh first-time winner on Tour this season, but he is the second former LSU golfer to receive a trophy. England’s Ben Taylor won the Club Colombia Championship back in February. The pair weren’t in Baton Rouge at the same time but have gotten to know each other this season. They are also No. 4 and No. 5 on the money list.

“I think it’s very encouraging,” said Burns, about seeing a fellow Bayou Bengal have success on Tour. “I was very excited for Ben. Getting to know him, he’s a super nice guy, great competitor and obviously a very talented player. I’m just trying to keep up with him now but hopefully we’ll have some battles down the stretch one day.”

Everything about Burns screams seasoned veteran. The way he approaches the game, how he interacts with fans and sponsors, even how he addresses a crowd when accepting the trophy. He’s very humble and that was evident when listening to him talk about The Landings Club and all the support the tournament received this week.

“It’s been incredible,” said Burns, when asked to give his thoughts on the first-year event. “I think they did a great job, especially seeing all the volunteers out here doing anything they could to make this event better. It’s only going to get better each year. It was really a special week and Savannah will always have a special place in my heart.”

The man who finished runner-up had a feeling Burns would be the one he would need to outlast if he was going to win his first tournament. Castro surged up the leaderboard and posted 20-under-par to take the clubhouse lead. The 32-year-old from Houston, Texas watched greenside as Burns two-putted the last to edge him out in the end.

“It’s funny,” said Castro. “My brother and I, he’s caddying for me this week. I shot 1-over the first day and Burns shot even. He’s like ‘Well you’re only one back of the guy you need to beat anyway.’ And that was literally Thursday afternoon. So, I finished one back and that’s how it goes.”