Now before we begin, keep in mind what they say about stones and glass houses, and remember that there’s probably a video of you out there, too.
With that …
Davis Riley and Sam Burns are in contention this weekend at the Valspar Championship — Riley finished Saturday with the 54-hold lead, while Burns, the defending champ, was three shots back. The 25-year-olds go back a ways, too.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve known Davis for years,” Burns said. “We played a bunch growing up. He’s always been a really, really good player, so it’s fun to see him playing well.”
“Any epic battles between you two?” a reporter asked.
“I’m sure there’s been some somewhere,” he said. “Can’t remember off the top of my head.”
Well …
Back in 2014, Burns and Riley were teammates on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. And at some point during the two-day event at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Scotland, the then-teens, along with Brad Dalke, filmed the Birdie Dance, their take on the Shmoney Dance, a two-step move started by rapper Bobby Shmurda. Golf Channel dug up the 34-second video on Saturday’s Golf Central, we did the same, and you can watch it below.
From left to right in the video are Riley, Dalke and Burns. For the first 15 seconds, they get loose, then they let loose; Dalke even breaks out a golf swing. The team had adopted the dance at the event, and after winning, Golf Channel asked for a rendition, and the PGA of America filmed another version.
“Now, I’m not sure how I feel about this, Cookie, but this is Davis Riley and Sam Burns at the Junior Ryder Cup,” announcer Anna Whiteley said on Saturday’s Golf Central. “Just sort of breaking it down. What do you think?”
“Well, they got — I tell you what, they got more guts than I do, dancing in front of cameras like that,” said analyst John Cook, also a longtime player.
“I feel like this is the kind of video that you sort of tape and it haunts you for the rest of your life,” Whiteley said.
“You can’t unsee that,” Cook said.
“It’s good to see these guys are good buddies,” Whiteley said.
