Sam Burns holds a two-shot lead over Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim heading into the final day at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. The American golfer ended his third round at 10 under par, making him the bookies' favorite to win his first major championship despite several near-misses in recent years.
Burns nearly skipped the tournament after his wife, Caroline, was expecting to give birth in mid-July to their second child, Belle. The baby arrived 11 days early, but according to NBC, Burns decided late last week to travel to Royal Birkdale after his agent, Brett Falkoff, kept his place in the field.
"It's been crazy, obviously, in a good way," Burns told NBC. "It's obviously crazy when you have a newborn, and I'm sure crazier for my wife not having me there to help."
"Not that I can do much, but she's a rock star, and thankfully she's such an incredible mom," Burns said. "Ultimately, that's the reason I came over here. She said: 'I've got it under control over here, so you try to go over there and take care of business.'"
Championship comeback at Royal Birkdale
Burns was three over par after his first round at Royal Birkdale. He stormed up the leaderboard with a 62 on Friday that matched the best-ever round in major championship history, before adding a third-round 65 on Saturday that put him in pole position.
Since 2024, Burns has recorded four top-10 finishes, but a first major title still eludes him. He finished second at this year's US Open, trailing winner Wyndham Clark by one shot after missing a putt to force a playoff on the final hole.
"I thought about it for a couple days, and then life goes on," Burns said. "Being able to come play here was a bonus this week."
"I didn't think there was any possibility," Burns added. "So I'm excited. I think it's a great challenge tomorrow. And ultimately, whatever happens, I can live with the result."
