Sam Burns’ caddie is Travis Perkins — and with Burns leading The Open Championship by two shots entering Sunday’s final round at Royal Birkdale, the man on the bag is 18 holes from a first major of his own. Perkins has been Burns’ only full-time caddie since he reached the PGA Tour in 2019, a partnership that has produced all five of Burns’ tour wins, two Ryder Cup appearances, and more than $40 million in career earnings.
Perkins knows the player’s side of the ropes, too. An Ohio native who grew up idolizing Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples, he played college golf at Florida Southern and earned a PGA Tour card of his own in 2008, making three cuts before his playing career stalled. He pivoted to caddying, working for Kris Blanks, D.A. Points (including Points’ 2013 Houston Open win), Scott Piercy, Aaron Wise, Brandt Snedeker and Cameron Tringale before committing to Burns full time. Burns’ own review, from earlier this year at Augusta: “My caddie Travis is an unbelievable caddie and helps me kind of stay patient out there.”
The Open Championship
Who Is Sam Burns’ Caddie?
Travis Perkins — the only bag man of Burns’ pro career
Since ’19With Burns
5Wins Together
2008Own Tour Card
18Holes From a Major
Travis Perkins at a Glance
| Category |
Detail |
Notes |
| Name |
Travis Perkins |
From Lewis Center, Ohio |
| With Burns since |
2019 |
Burns’ only full-time caddie as a professional |
| Playing career |
Florida Southern College; PGA Tour card in 2008 |
Made three cuts, including a T62 at the Memorial, before turning to caddying |
| Previous bags |
Kris Blanks, D.A. Points, Piercy, Wise, Snedeker, Tringale |
Was on the bag for Points’ 2013 Shell Houston Open win |
| Wins with Burns |
All five |
Two Valspars, Sanderson Farms, Charles Schwab, 2023 WGC Match Play |
Patience Is the Product
The trait Burns credits Perkins for — staying patient, playing to spots — is exactly what’s carried this week: an opening 73 that flirted with the cut line, then a record-tying 62 and a composed 65 to seize the lead.
Scar Tissue, Shared
Perkins was on the bag for the near-misses too: the 54-hole lead lost at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, and last month’s Shinnecock heartbreak, where Burns’ final birdie try stopped an inch short of forcing his way past Wyndham Clark.
A Caddie’s Payday
Caddies traditionally earn about 10% of a win. Burns’ career earnings have already made Perkins one of the best-paid loopers in golf — and a Claret Jug Sunday would be the biggest check of both their careers.
The Bottom Line
Travis Perkins: former tour pro, Burns’ one and only caddie, and the other half of a seven-year partnership standing on the brink at Birkdale. The money side of that partnership is charted in Sam Burns’ career earnings, and Sunday’s history chase in the lowest final round ever at The Open.
