Burns Leads, Fox Makes History: 2026 Open Championship in the Home Stretch

The third day of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport lived up to its reputation as “Moving Day.” Sam Burns shot a stellar 65 and heads into the final round at ten under Par with a two-stroke lead. Ryan Fox completed a record-breaking round of 62 in the morning, catapulting himself from 52nd place to second. The field is tight—and Sunday promises excitement right down to the last hole.

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Sam Burns: A Two-Shot Lead and a Special Story

Sam Burns wasn’t actually supposed to be in Southport this week. The 29-year-old American from Shreveport, Louisiana, had long since written off the flight to England—his schedule was reserved for something more important: the birth of his second daughter. But Belle Burns decided to make an early appearance, arriving a few days before her due date, and his wife Caroline left no room for doubt.

“She told me, ‘I’ve got this under control. Fly over there and do your best.’ And here we are,” Burns said at the press conference after the round.

After a bumpy start with a 73 in the first round, Burns really found his stride in this tournament. His record-tying 62 on Friday was followed by a commanding 65 on Saturday—four Birdies on the first eight holes, including a strong 4-iron on the 4th hole that set him up for a 4.5-meter Putt. Only a bogey on the ninth briefly slowed him down, before Birdies on 14 (a 9-meter Putt) and 17 extended his lead.

Find out here how much prize money is up for grabs at the 2026 Open Championship.

What the numbers behind the numbers reveal is just as impressive: Burns needed just 127 strokes combined in rounds two and three—the lowest combined total over two consecutive rounds in the entire history of the Open Championship, three strokes better than Fuzzy Zoeller (1994) and Shane Lowry (2019).

Burns is chasing his first major title at the 2026 Open Championship. He finished second behind Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open in June and briefly held the lead at the Masters. This time, he’s in the lead—and he has a comfortable, though by no means secure, lead over the runner-up.

“I can only control what I do myself. Someone is going to play a great round tomorrow—that happens every week. I have to do the same,” Burns said matter-of-factly.

Ryan Fox Makes History: His Third 62 in Two Days

If you don’t feel your best during warm-ups and still manage to shoot one of the most remarkable rounds in major championship history—then it was probably a good day. Ryan Fox, the 39-year-old New Zealander, teed off in the early tee-time group alongside Xander Schauffele for a nearly windless morning round at Birkdale and didn’t give the course a moment’s respite.

Five Birdies on the front nine brought him to the turn with a 29—just missing the Open Championship’s front-nine record. After his only Bogey on the 13th hole, Fox did exactly what strong players do in moments like that: he responded immediately. A Birdie on 14, followed by more on 16 and 17—and suddenly the question arose: Would a 61 be posted this Saturday in Southport for the first time in major championship history?

“When I stood on the 18th tee, I thought: If I hit the Fairway, I can hit a Wedge or a 9-Iron and have a Putt for 61,” Fox explained in the mixed zone.

Things turned out differently. Fox landed in the Fairway Bunker, hit a strong 8-iron from there onto the green—just past the front edge—came up a bit short on his first Putt from about 12 meters, and sank the second for Par. A round of 62. Record tied.

This makes Fox the third player in less than 24 hours to achieve this feat: On Friday, Lucas Herbert set the same mark first, followed 22 minutes later by Sam Burns. Brandon Grace was the very first player to shoot a 62 in a major in 2017—also at Royal Birkdale. Fox is now the eighth player in history to do so.

“I feel really good. If I’m being picky: I might have wanted two tee shots back. But other than that, I feel like I hardly missed a shot,” Fox said after his round.

Schauffele, who himself has two of the eight major 62s to his credit and shot a 66 on Saturday, paid the Kiwi the highest respect: “He came out hot. He played as if I could only try to ride his wave.”

The Chase: Kim, Herbert, and a Field Full of Underdogs

Behind Burns and Fox, the 2026 Open Championship features an unusually wide-open field of contenders—one that isn’t led by the expected golfing greats.

Si Woo Kim started Saturday as one of the tournament’s surprise contenders and finished it as a co-leader after the second round. Today he shot a 67 and stands at eight under Par—two strokes behind Burns. Notably, the South Korean said he was battling Achilles issues in both ankles and took painkillers before the round. Kim would be the first South Korean winner in the history of the Open Championship.

Lucas Herbert, who had taken the lead on Friday with a 62, had a difficult Saturday. He hit only five of 14 Fairways and carded three Bogey shots—finishing with a 71 on his Scorecard. On the final two holes alone, Herbert saved Par twice with creative scrambling shots and remains at seven under par, three strokes behind Burns.

“I wouldn’t be thrilled to give him a three-stroke lead—but that’s just the situation,” Herbert commented with disarming honesty.

Ludvig Åberg shot a solid 67 and sits at six under Par, tied with Bryson DeChambeau and dark horse Jackson Suber. Tommy Fleetwood remains the British home crowd’s biggest hope—but his Saturday ended on a sour note. After sitting at seven under Par on the 11th hole and just one stroke behind the lead, Bogey on 15 and 18 cost him valuable strokes. He heads into the final round five strokes off the lead.

“How many people in the golf world get the chance to experience this with a crowd that’s so firmly on your side? It’s been a very special week for me—no matter what happens tomorrow,” said Fleetwood, who grew up just a few kilometers from Royal Birkdale.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm were stuck at even Par and will start the final round tied for 11th at four under Par—six strokes behind Burns. Rory McIlroy is at two under Par and will likely need a near-record round to stay in contention.

The DeChambeau Affair: Rule Penalty, Protest, and a Long Evening

No report on the third day of the 2026 Open Championship would be complete without addressing the topic that preoccupied the entire golfing world on Friday evening and Saturday morning: the two-stroke penalty against Bryson DeChambeau.

During his second round on the 5th hole, after hitting a shot into deep Rough, the two-time U.S. Open champion had, according to the R&A’s interpretation of the rules, improved his swing line—a violation of Rule 8.1. The penalty was not imposed until after he had completed his round. DeChambeau then returned to the hole in question to demonstrate his case, spent hours on the practice range until late into the night, did not speak to the press, and initially left open whether he would continue the tournament. The result: The tee times for all players on Saturday were delayed because the commotion tied up so many staff members that the announcement of the tee times had to be postponed.

Reactions among the field varied. Rory McIlroy didn’t mince words: “I was sitting up in the players’ lounge watching it live. When he took that step toward the ball, we all looked at each other and thought: That didn’t look right. I think there’s no doubt that he altered his swing path—whether it was careless or intentional doesn’t matter. The two-stroke penalty was justified.”

Regarding the delay in tee times, McIlroy stated clearly: “Holding the tournament hostage like that and making everyone—players, volunteers, everyone—wait didn’t send a good message.”

Burns was more understanding: “From my perspective, I felt that the evidence for a penalty might not have been sufficient. I feel bad for him.”

Scheffler remained tight-lipped but hinted that he definitely had a clear opinion—though he didn’t want to voice it in the middle of the tournament.

DeChambeau himself reacted on the course: He shot a 69, remains at six under Par, and is four strokes behind Burns—theoretically still in contention.

Conditions: Morning beats afternoon

A pattern has emerged throughout the first Open Championship at Royal Birkdale since 2017: Those who play early benefit. The calm morning conditions transform the historic links course into a comparatively tame challenge—the greens are softer, the ball holds better, and Birdies become predictable occurrences. In the afternoon, the wind picks up, the course dries out, and suddenly Birkdale becomes once again the dreaded test it has been for 137 years.

That explains why all three 62s this week were shot in the morning rounds—and why players like Fleetwood, Scheffler, and Rahm struggled more in the afternoon rounds.

Outlook: Who Will Claim the Claret Jug?

The final day of the 2026 Open Championship promises to be a wide-open contest. Sam Burns heads into the final round as the favorite with a two-stroke lead—but with ten players within five strokes of the lead, the field is so tightly packed that any scenario is possible. The winner’s prize is $3.2 million from a total prize pool of $17.75 million—the largest in the history of the Open Championship.

Fox and Kim are likely to be the most immediate challengers. Herbert has proven he can post exceptional rounds at Birkdale. And if the morning round remains windless again, another standout score isn’t out of the question.

Burns is calm but focused: “I’m going to head home and see my family. I hope I’ll take home some hardware—but if not, that’s okay, too.”

The Claret Jug awaits. Sunday will decide it all.

Video highlights of the third round of the 2026 Open Championship