George Francis Burns III (born July 29, 1949) is an American professional golfer. Turning pro in 1975, Burns had four PGA Tour wins, 80 top-10 finishes and won several other tournaments at both the amateur and professional levels.
Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was the eldest child of George Burns Jr, President of Smith Corona Typewriters and Durkee Foods, and Kathleen Marie Scott.
Burns attended the University of Tennessee before transferring his freshman year to the University of Maryland where he played defensive end for one season before quitting football to focus solely on golf.
In 1975, Burns turned pro. He won four PGA Tour events during that phase of his career. His first win came with Ben Crenshaw at the 1979 Walt Disney World National Team Championship in Orlando. The biggest win of his career came a year later at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. Burns had more than 70 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a major was at the 1981 U.S. Open where Burns held a three-shot lead going into the final round before finishing T2. Burns also had a T-5 at the 1977 British Open.
After reaching the age of 50 in 1999, Burns began play on the Senior PGA Tour. His best finish at that level is a T-9 at the 2000 Brickyard Classic.
Burns lives in Boynton Beach, Florida.
PGA Tour playoff record (0âÂÂ2)
European Tour playoff record (2âÂÂ0)
<span style="font-size:87%;">LA</span> = Low amateur<br> CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1978 Open Championship)<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place
Amateur