Sam Burns, a new father whose daughter arrived 11 days early, carded a five-under-par 65 in the third round of The Open at Royal Birkdale to seize a two-shot lead. He stands at 10 under par, two clear of New Zealand's Ryan Fox and Kim Si-woo of South Korea.
Burns’ unexpected appearance
Burns was not originally scheduled to play, as his wife Caroline’s due date was Tuesday of that week. However, their daughter Belle arrived early, and Caroline encouraged him to compete. “This golf tournament was, honestly, so far off of my radar and expectations of playing,” Burns said. “Caroline’s due date was Tuesday this week. I just didn’t think there was any possible way, but little Belle had different plans for us. Ultimately, Caroline’s the one that really encouraged me to come over and play. She basically said ‘I’ve got this’ at home. ‘Go over there and give it your best’, and here we are.”
McIlroy’s remarks and DeChambeau’s penalty
Rory McIlroy stirred controversy when asked about Bryson DeChambeau’s two-shot penalty for a rules infringement on the 5th hole of the second round. DeChambeau remains in contention at six under par after a third-round 69, alongside Ludvig Åberg. Tommy Fleetwood, the local favourite, is five shots back at five under, while Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are on four under.
Morning conditions boost Fox
Ryan Fox, 39, teed off at 10:30 a.m., five hours and 20 minutes before the leaders, and shot a 62 to vault up the leaderboard. “I think it’s just the good weather conditions,” Fox said. “The course is brilliant. It’s obviously very firm and fast. In the mornings the greens are a little bit softer. Obviously, we had pretty much no wind until the last couple of holes today. You feel like you can shoot a score in the morning and the greens are perfect, that if you do roll it well, you feel like you hole everything.”
Home challenge falters
Most British contenders fell back. Robert MacIntyre shot level par to finish at three under, while Tyrrell Hatton carded a 74 to drop to one over. Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick also slipped. Fleetwood, despite dropping two shots late, remains at five under. “It was a strange day,” he said. “I felt like I played really well but I got nothing on the closing stretch. It’s a bit frustrating but it could have been worse and you never know what could happen tomorrow. The tournament is not in my hands. It’s not like I am going out and it is there on a plate for me. I have to play the best I can, enjoy it, and we’ll see.”
Burns the man to beat
Burns, who finished seventh at the Masters and second at the US Open this year, is now favourite. His close friend Scheffler said: “Sam’s a guy that’s been on the last few Ryder Cups, last few Presidents Cups, and he’s a guy that I see all the time. He’s got a ton of talent. For me, it’s just a matter of time until he gets it done in one of these.” Bookmakers have installed Burns as the warm favourite, having been as high as 35-1 two weeks ago. However, Royal Birkdale and his rivals may yet challenge his bid for a first major title.
