Name: Sam Saunders hits 77-yard approach to 4-feet at Zurich Classic
Uploaded: 2023-04-20T21:23:26.853Z
Duration: 31 s
Description: In the opening round of the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Sam Saunders makes birdie on the par-4 13th hole.

In the opening round of the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Sam Saunders makes birdie on the par-4 13th hole.

Sam Saunders hits 77-yard approach to 4-feet at Zurich Classic

Ahead of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Eric Cole and Arnold Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, stop by Palmer's renovated office at Bay Hill. The two reminisce about competing against each other, being back-to-back Club Champions and the conversations they had with Palmer.

Friends Eric Cole and Sam Saunders visit Arnold Palmer's office

Sam Saunders was caddying for his grandfather Arnold Palmer at the 2004 Arnold Palmer Invitational, his last year playing the tournament. Saunders recalls the memorable shot where Palmer took driver off the deck at the par-4 18th at Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Sam Saunders recalls Arnold Palmer's driver off the deck at Bay Hill

Bay Hill Club & Lodge is a familiar place for Arnold Palmer’s grandson Sam Saunders. He revisits memories of spending time with his grandfather around the course and watching Palmer tinker with his clubs.

Sam Saunders’ memories of Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

Prior to the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders talks about the API and what it means to the game of golf and what it means to the players.

Sam Saunders on the state the Arnold Palmer Invitational

10-year-old Rylan Crouch, who recently beat cancer, had a one-of-a-kind experience on Saturday at the 2019 Barbasol Championship thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Make-A-Wish recipient experiences Barbasol Championship

In the final round of the 2019 John Deere Classic, Sam Saunders nearly holes out from a fairway bunker, landing his 196-yard approach inside 2 feet of the cup, setting up a tap-in birdie at the par-4 9th hole.

Sam Saunders cards birdie at the turn at John Deere

In the third round of the 2019 John Deere Classic, Sam Saunders sinks a 23-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th hole.

Sam Saunders' 23-foot birdie putt at John Deere

In the third round of the 2019 3M Open, Sam Saunders hits his 151-yard approach shot on the par-4 11th hole to 7 feet then sinks the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders’ approach from the rough sets up 7-foot birdie at 3M Open

Following a second-round 67, Sam Saunders reflects on his play in the 2019 3M Open with Mark Carnevale from PGA TOUR Radio. 

Sam Saunders interview after Round 2 of 3M Open

In the opening round of the 2019 RBC Heritage, Sam Saunders hits his 49-foot bunker shot on the par-4 9th hole to 5 inches then sinks the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders’ near eagle bunker shot at RBC Heritage

In the final round of the 2019 Valspar Championship, Sam Saunders 58-yard bunker shot on the par-5 5th hole settles 11 feet from the cup and he would make birdie. This highlight is delivered by PGA TOUR LIVE.

Sam Saunders' fantastic bunker shot leads to birdie at Valspar

In the final round of the 2019 Valspar Championship, Sam Saunders hits his 101-yard approach on the par-5 1st hole to 13 feet and would make birdie.  This highlight is delivered by PGA TOUR LIVE.

Sam Saunders birdies No. 1 at Valspar

Prior to THE PLAYERS Championship 2019, Sam Saunders attempts to recreate iconic shots on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass from the likes of Davis Love III, Tiger Woods and Hal Sutton. 

Sam Saunders recreates memorable shots at THE PLAYERS

In the third round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders lands his 128-yard approach inside 5 feet of the cup at the par-4 5th hole. He would make the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders uses nice approach to set up birdie at Arnold Palmer

In the third round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders gets up-and-down from a greenside collection area to make birdie at the par-5 4th hole.

Sam Saunders gets up-and-down for birdie at Arnold Palmer

Following his second-round 4-under 68 at the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders discusses the condition of the golf course and how he was able to turn in a bogey-free round Friday at Bay Hill.

Sam Saunders interview after Round 2 of Arnold Palmer

In the second round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders rolls in a 30-foot putt to make birdie at the par-3 14th hole.

Sam Saunders jars 30-foot birdie putt at Arnold Palmer

In the second round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders sticks his 94-yard approach within 3 feet of the cup at the par-4 10th hole. He would make the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders sticks approach to set up birdie at Arnold Palmer

In the second round of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Sam Saunders jars an 11-foot putt to make birdie at the par-4 3rd hole. This highlight is delivered by PGA TOUR LIVE.

Sam Saunders rolls in 11-footer for birdie at Arnold Palmer

In the opening round of The Honda Classic 2019. Sam Saunders lands his 168-yard tee shot inside 4 feet of the cup at the par-3 15th hole. He would make the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders sticks tee shot to set up birdie at Honda

In the opening round of The Honda Classic 2019. Sam Saunders drains a 13-foot putt for birdie at the par-3 5th hole.

Sam Saunders sinks 13-footer for birdie at Honda

In the opening round of the 2019 Genesis Open, Sam Saunders sticks his 167-yard tee shot inside 2 feet of the cup to set up a tap-in birdie at the par-3 16th hole. 

Sam Saunders nearly aces No. 16 at Genesis Open

In the opening round of the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Sam Saunders drains a 27-footer for birdie at the Pebble Beach par-3 17th hole.

Sam Saunders sinks 27-foot putt for birdie at AT&T Pebble Beach

In the opening round of the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Sam Saunders sinks a 12-foot putt to make birdie at the Pebble Beach par-4 16th hole.

Sam Saunders birdies No. 16 at AT&T Pebble Beach

In the second round of the 2019 Desert Classic, Sam Saunders lands his approach within 3 feet of the cup at the Nicklaus Tournament Course par-4 9th hole. He would make the putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders' tight approach yields birdie at Desert Classic

Prior to the 2019 Desert Classic, Sam Saunders checks out a collection of photos of his grandfather, Arnold Palmer, from his playing days at PGA West. 

Sam Saunders reflects on Arnold Palmer photos from Desert Classic

PGA TOUR players Sam Saunders, Harold Varner III and Sebastián Vázquez took time at the Mayakoba Golf Classic to help local charity group, D.I.F., donate funds and supplies to families in need.

PGA TOUR players make a charitable impact at Mayakoba

In the final round of the 2018 Barracuda Championship, Sam Saunders hits his 130-yard approach shot on the par-4 17th hole to 2 feet, then sinks the putt for birdie to earn +2 points. The Modified Stableford system being used this week allocates points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole, with the goal of achieving the highest overall score.

Sam Saunders' approach sets up 2-foot birdie for Shot of the Day

Following his third-round, Sam Saunders talks about the position he is in heading into the final round.

Sam Saunders interview after Round 3 of Barracuda

In the third round of the 2018 Barracuda Championship, Sam Saunders sinks a 21-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th hole to earn +5 points. The Modified Stableford system being used this week allocates points based on the number of strokes taken at each hole, with the goal of achieving the highest overall score.

Sam Saunders’ clutch eagle putt at Barracuda

Following his second-round total of 23 points using the Modified Stableford scoring system at the 2018 Barracuda Championship, Sam Saunders talks about how the experience of living and playing at altitude has prepared him for this week.

Sam Saunders comments after Round 2 of Barracuda

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In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Tommy Fleetwood's drive on the 594-yard, par-5 eighth hole traveled 304 yards, landing in the right fairway and leaving 290 yards to the hole. His 285-yard shot from the fairway landed in the right bunker, finishing 25 feet 6 inches from the hole. Fleetwood's 34-feet-8-inch shot from the greenside bunker landed on the right green and finished 9 feet from the hole. He made a 9-foot putt for birdie.

Tommy Fleetwood drains 9-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Kevin Yu's drive on the 419-yard, par-4 11th hole traveled 295 yards and landed in the right fairway, leaving 119 yards to the hole. His 120-yard approach shot from the fairway landed on the right green, finishing 8 feet from the hole. Yu made an 8-foot putt for birdie.

Kevin Yu drains 8-foot birdie putt on No. 11 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Kristoffer Reitan's 142-yard approach shot from the primary rough lands on the right green, finishing 20 feet 9 inches from the hole. Reitan makes a 20-foot 9-inch putt for birdie.

Kristoffer Reitan drains 21-foot birdie putt on No. 9 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Matt Wallace's drive on the 575-yard, par-5 14th hole travels 288 yards and lands in the left fairway, leaving 287 yards to the hole. His 290-yard shot from the fairway lands on the right green, finishing 6 feet 4 inches from the hole. Wallace makes a 6-foot-4-inch putt for eagle.

Matt Wallace's 290-yard approach sets up eagle on No. 14 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Ryo Hisatsune's drive on the 594-yard, par-5 eighth went 312 yards into the left rough, leaving 279 yards to the hole. His 225-yard shot from the rough landed in the left fairway, leaving 54 yards to the hole. Hisatsune made a 10-foot 3-inch putt for birdie and is now in third place at 3-under par.

Ryo Hisatsune drains 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Tony Finau's drive on the 397-yard, par-4 fifth hole traveled 320 yards and ended up in the left rough, with 72 yards remaining to the hole. His 66-yard approach shot from the rough landed on the left green, finishing 19 feet 8 inches from the hole. Finau made a 19-foot 8-inch putt for birdie, remaining at 1-under par for the round.

Tony Finau drains 20-foot birdie putt on No. 5 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Tony Finau's drive on the 397-yard, par-4 fifth hole traveled 320 yards and landed in the left rough, with 72 yards remaining to the hole. His 66-yard approach shot from the rough landed on the left green, finishing 19 feet 8 inches from the hole. Finau made a 19-foot-8-inch putt for birdie, remaining at 1-under par for the round.

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Stephan Jaeger's drive on the 596-yard, par-5 second hole travels 294 yards and ends up in the left fairway, with 301 yards remaining to the hole. His 261-yard shot from the fairway lands in the right rough, leaving 54 yards to the hole. Jaeger's 54-yard approach shot from the primary rough lands in the left green, finishing 3 feet 4 inches from the hole. He makes a 3-foot-4-inch putt.

Stephan Jaeger gets up-and-down from 54 yards for birdie on No. 2 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, J.J. Spaun's 305-yard drive on the 456-yard, par-4 ninth landed in the right rough, leaving 151 yards to the hole. His 154-yard approach shot from the rough landed on the left green, finishing 8 feet 9 inches from the cup. Spaun made the 8-foot 9-inch putt for birdie.

J.J. Spaun hits 154-yard approach to 9 feet, sets up birdie on No. 9 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Chandler Phillips's 306-yard drive on the 456-yard, par-4 ninth landed in the right fairway, finishing 150 yards from the hole. His 152-yard approach shot from the fairway landed on the left green, finishing 11 feet 10 inches from the hole. Phillips made an 11-foot 10-inch putt for birdie.

Chandler Phillips gets up-and-down from 12 feet for birdie on No. 9 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Ludvig Åberg's 263-yard drive on the 397-yard, par-4 fifth hole landed in the right fairway and finished 138 yards from the hole. His 136-yard approach shot from the fairway landed on the left green, finishing 6 feet from the hole. Åberg made a 6-foot putt for birdie.

Ludvig Åberg gets up-and-down from 6 feet for birdie on No. 5 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Chris Kirk's drive on the 456-yard, par-4 ninth hole traveled 314 yards and landed in the right rough, leaving 142 yards to the hole. His 142-yard eagle approach shot from the rough moved him to 4-under for the round.

Chris Kirk holes 142-yard shot from rough for eagle on No. 9 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Michael Kim's 313-yard drive on the 594-yard, par-5 eighth hole landed in the right rough, leaving 285 yards to the hole. His 273-yard shot from the rough ended up in the right bunker, finishing 41 feet 11 inches from the hole. Kim's 44-foot 10-inch shot from the greenside bunker landed on the right green, finishing 3 feet 7 inches from the hole.

Michael Kim gets up-and-down from 45 feet for birdie on No. 8 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Austin Smotherman's 318-yard drive on the 594-yard, par-5 18th landed in the right native area, leaving 267 yards to the hole. His 193-yard shot from the native area landed in the left fairway, leaving 76 yards to the hole. Smotherman's 78-yard approach from the fairway landed on the left green, finishing 5 feet 8 inches from the hole. He made a 5-foot 8-inch putt for birdie.

Austin Smotherman drains 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Robert MacIntyre's drive on the 397-yard, par-4 fifth hole traveled 315 yards and ended in the left rough, leaving 77 yards to the hole. His 81-yard approach from the rough landed on the left green, finishing 13 feet 8 inches from the cup. MacIntyre made a 13-foot 8-inch putt for birdie.

Robert MacIntyre's 81-yard approach sets up birdie on No. 5 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Sudarshan Yellamaraju's drive on the 452-yard, par-4 15th hole traveled 306 yards and landed in the right bunker, leaving 152 yards to the hole. His 153-yard approach from the bunker landed on the left green, finishing 4 feet 1 inch from the hole. Yellamaraju made the 4-foot-1-inch putt for birdie.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju's 153-yard bunker shot sets up birdie on No. 15 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Paul Waring's drive on the 452-yard par-4 15th travels 314 yards, landing in the right fairway and leaving 138 yards to the hole. His 142-yard approach shot from the fairway lands on the right green, finishing 10 feet 7 inches from the hole. Waring makes a 10-foot 7-inch putt for birdie.

Paul Waring drains 10-foot birdie putt on No. 15 at Valero

In the third round of the 2026 Valero, Chris Kirk's drive on the 594-yard, par-5 eighth hole traveled 306 yards into the right fairway, leaving 289 yards to the hole. His 270-yard approach from the fairway landed in the left rough, 67 feet 5 inches from the cup. Kirk's 50-foot 6-inch chip from the rough landed on the right green, finishing 4 feet from the hole. He made the 4-foot putt for birdie.

Sam Saunders hits 77-yard approach to 4-feet at Zurich Classic

Tommy Fleetwood drains 9-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Valero

Kevin Yu drains 8-foot birdie putt on No. 11 at Valero

Kristoffer Reitan drains 21-foot birdie putt on No. 9 at Valero

Matt Wallace's 290-yard approach sets up eagle on No. 14 at Valero

Ryo Hisatsune drains 10-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Valero

Tony Finau drains 20-foot birdie putt on No. 5 at Valero

Tony Finau drains 20-foot birdie putt on No. 5 at Valero

Stephan Jaeger gets up-and-down from 54 yards for birdie on No. 2 at Valero

J.J. Spaun hits 154-yard approach to 9 feet, sets up birdie on No. 9 at Valero

Chandler Phillips gets up-and-down from 12 feet for birdie on No. 9 at Valero

Ludvig Åberg gets up-and-down from 6 feet for birdie on No. 5 at Valero

Chris Kirk holes 142-yard shot from rough for eagle on No. 9 at Valero

Michael Kim gets up-and-down from 45 feet for birdie on No. 8 at Valero

Austin Smotherman drains 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 at Valero

Robert MacIntyre's 81-yard approach sets up birdie on No. 5 at Valero

Sudarshan Yellamaraju's 153-yard bunker shot sets up birdie on No. 15 at Valero

Paul Waring drains 10-foot birdie putt on No. 15 at Valero

Chris Kirk drains 4-foot birdie putt on No. 8 at Valero

Friends Eric Cole and Sam Saunders visit Arnold Palmer's office

Sam Saunders recalls Arnold Palmer's driver off the deck at Bay Hill

Sam Saunders’ memories of Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

Sam Saunders on the state the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Make-A-Wish recipient experiences Barbasol Championship

Sam Saunders cards birdie at the turn at John Deere

Sam Saunders' 23-foot birdie putt at John Deere

Sam Saunders’ approach from the rough sets up 7-foot birdie at 3M Open

Sam Saunders interview after Round 2 of 3M Open

Sam Saunders’ near eagle bunker shot at RBC Heritage

Sam Saunders' fantastic bunker shot leads to birdie at Valspar

Sam Saunders birdies No. 1 at Valspar

Sam Saunders recreates memorable shots at THE PLAYERS

Sam Saunders uses nice approach to set up birdie at Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders gets up-and-down for birdie at Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders interview after Round 2 of Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders jars 30-foot birdie putt at Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders sticks approach to set up birdie at Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders rolls in 11-footer for birdie at Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders sticks tee shot to set up birdie at Honda

Sam Saunders sinks 13-footer for birdie at Honda

Sam Saunders nearly aces No. 16 at Genesis Open

Sam Saunders sinks 27-foot putt for birdie at AT&T Pebble Beach

Sam Saunders birdies No. 16 at AT&T Pebble Beach

Sam Saunders' tight approach yields birdie at Desert Classic

Sam Saunders reflects on Arnold Palmer photos from Desert Classic

PGA TOUR players make a charitable impact at Mayakoba

Sam Saunders' approach sets up 2-foot birdie for Shot of the Day

Sam Saunders interview after Round 3 of Barracuda

Sam Saunders’ clutch eagle putt at Barracuda

Sam Saunders comments after Round 2 of Barracuda