Burns went to John F. Kennedy High school located in the San Fernando Valley.

He won All-American honors his junior year, and was the individual medalist at the 1990 NCAA Division II Championship.

In 1998, his fortunes improved dramatically when he won two tournaments and finished first on the Nike Tour money list with $178,664 in earnings.

[2] Burns regained his PGA Tour card for the following season and continued to improve his game.

In 2002, he won the Disney Golf Classic and earned over a million dollars in a single season for the first time in his career.