Sam Burns holds a two-shot lead at 10 under par heading into the final round of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Burns birdied both par five holes 14 and 17 during the third round to post a 5-under 65 and reach a total of 10 under 200 through three rounds [1, 2].
Burns leads South Korean Si Woo Kim and New Zealand's Ryan Fox, who sit tied for second at 8 under par. Both players trail Burns by two strokes after three rounds [3, 2]. Fox matched the men's major championship single-round scoring record with a 62 earlier this week. Reflecting on Fox's performance, he said, "The game plan was to be aggressive. I was aggressive on a lot of good wedge shots. Pretty happy with 62 at the end." [2]
Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau stayed in contention after carding a 69 to reach 6 under par, four shots off the lead [3, 2]. Tommy Fleetwood, playing in front of a home crowd in Southport, also shot a 69 and sits five shots behind Burns at 5 under par [3, 2]. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler posted a 70 in the third round and is six shots back at 4 under par [3, 2].
Burns, who recently became a father on July 3, had not initially planned to play in the Open but made a last-minute decision to join the field. He commented, "To be able to come here was a bonus. I didn't think there was any way possible. It will be a great challenge tomorrow. No matter what happens, I can live with the results." [2]
The final round will begin Sunday morning with Burns teeing off at 9:20 a.m. ET. Ryan Fox will join Burns in the last pairing [3].
