Burns fired a 65 after shooting a 62 in the second round as he chases his first major title.The Athletic Live TeamJuly 18, 2026 at 4:41 PM EDTSam Burns shot a 65 to grab a two-shot lead at The Open Championship. Getty ImagesOpen Championship Round 3 — LatestSam Burns has moved to the top of the leaderboard after the third round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Burns shot a 65 today after a 62 yesterday for the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history. He sits at 10-under and leads by two shots over Ryan Fox, who had a 62 today, and Si Woo Kim. Bryson DeChambeau is tied for sixth at 6-under and is the only player in the top 10 who has won a major.Join the discussion or email us: live@theathletic.comThe Open ChampionshipRoyal Birkdale Golf Club - Southport, GBRJul 15 - 18, 2026WinnerPLAYERTOTALRyan FoxNZL-10Tournament FieldPOSPLAYERTOTAL1Ryan FoxNZL-102Cameron YoungUSA-93Sam BurnsUSA-8T4Tommy FleetwoodENG-7T4Scottie SchefflerUSA-7T6Lucas HerbertAUS-6T6Casey JarvisRSA-6T6Si Woo KimKOR-6T9Rasmus Neergaard-PetersenDEN-5T9Ryan GerardUSA-5Burns a feel-good pick Getty ImagesSam Burns has been close before in majors, specifically the U.S. Open the past two years. Last year, he had the 54-hole lead but wasn't able to hold on. This year, he tried to chase down Wyndham Clark and missed a birdie putt on the 18th hole on Sunday that would have forced a playoff. So he is back out front tonight. Can he finish the push tomorrow? It's certainly going to be fun to watch to see if he can. Burns would be a popular champion.Burns has praise for DeChambeauSam Burns offered his opinion on yesterday’s two-shot penalty for Bryson DeChambeau, whom Burns played alongside in Round 3.💬 “I thought the fans were very supportive of Bryson today. We didn't discuss it. In my personal opinion, I honestly feel bad for Bryson in the situation that he was in.“From my perspective, I didn't feel like maybe there was enough evidence for him to deserve a penalty there.“I feel bad for him. I think he played an incredible round of golf late yesterday, and it's unfortunate to have something kind of like that where they come in after your round and tell you you're being docked two shots.“But props to him. He came out and played a really nice round of golf today, and that takes a lot of grit to be able to come out and do that. So I was impressed.”Burns credits Scheffler for his major improvementSam Burns also said during his news conference that his close friendship with World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is crucial to him beginning to contend regularly for majors.Burns was the runner-up at the U.S. Open and now leads The Open Championship heading into the final round.💬 “I felt like I played a bit too aggressive at times (in the past), and I think at some of these golf courses where you're penalised a little bit more than a typical Tour golf course we play, I think I hadn't quite learned that the hard way yet.“It took a bit longer for me. It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and kind of watch what he does.“I mean, he's far and beyond the best person that does that. He makes so few mistakes, and he doesn't take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.“It wasn't like I asked him about it or we talked a lot about it. It was just me observing.“I think that had a pretty large impact on me the last couple years in the majors and just kind of watching how he prepares and the way he goes about it.”Burns: 'Little Belle had other plans for us' Getty ImagesSpeaking at a news conference after claiming a 54-hole lead at The Open, Sam Burns reiterated that he did not expect to even be in the UK for the tournament.Burns’s wife Caroline gave birth to their second child, daughter Belle, last week, earlier than expected, which allowed the 29-year-old to play in a Major he had expected to miss.💬 “This golf tournament was honestly so far off of my radar and expectations of playing. Caroline's due date was Tuesday this week. She was four days late with our son. I just didn't think there was any possible way, and little Belle had different plans for us.“Even after she was born, after a couple of days, I wasn't thinking much about it. Caroline was kind of like, ‘so what are you thinking for next week?’“I said, ‘I don't know, should we talk about it?’“Ultimately she'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.”Scheffler on DeChambeauIntriguing quote from Scottie Scheffler on Bryson DeChambeau:💬 “I was out practicing. I was playing with him yesterday. I don't really have a ton to say on it. Actually, I do have a ton to say. I haven't decided exactly what I want to say publicly yet.“I do have some thoughts. I just ... I don't really feel like now is the time or place for me to comment. We're in the middle of a tournament, and I'm focused on what I need to do. I need to go out tomorrow and shoot a low round. I'm not really going to expand on it too much.”Kim, Aberg push up leaderboardBoth shooting 3-under in the third round, Si Woo Kim and Ludvig Åberg have propelled themselves to relevance entering the final round of this tournament. Kim entered the day at 5-under and played a crisp round, with his biggest blunder being a bogey on the 10th after shooting 32 on the front nine, earning a spot in the final grouping. Aberg began the day at 3-under and propelled himself to 6-under by shooting 34 on the back nine, leaving him tied for fourth. With confidence and momentum, anything is possible at this golf course right now, the way the scoring has gone.Two notes for tomorrow Getty ImagesA couple of notes entering the final round:There are 49 players under par after three rounds.Only one player in the top 10 has won a major: Bryson DeChambeau.Fleetwood remains relevant Getty ImagesHometown hero Tommy Fleetwood gave the crowd at Royal Birkdale a lot to cheer for during the third round, and the Englishman kept himself within shouting distance come tomorrow's finale. In fact, if it weren't for bogeys on two of the last four holes, Fleetwood would be sitting three shots off the lead, but instead, he will enter the final round at 5-under.That said, with the scoring this course has seen over the past three days, anything is possible, especially with some hometown magic.Steady round for Gerard Getty ImagesRyan Gerard did not have an exceptional round today, but he surely played well enough to keep himself in contention and near the top of the leaderboard. He was 1-over on the front nine, but birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 propelled him to a third-round 69, which leaves the American at 7-under entering Sunday and three shots behind Sam Burns.Especially compared to his playing partner today, Cameron Young, who faded down the stretch, this has to be considered a win for Gerard.Fox flips the script Getty ImagesEntering this iteration of The Open, only five players had ever shot a 62 in a major championship round. It has now happened three times in the last two days, which makes anything possible entering the final round.After Sam Burns and Lucas Herbert accomplished the feat yesterday, Ryan Fox matched it in the third round to jump from even to 8-under, leaving him two shots off the lead to secure a spot in the final grouping tomorrow. The 39-year-old from New Zealand shot a glimmering 29 on the front nine and 33 on the back nine, with his lone blemish being a bogey on 13. While it may be normalized a bit by Burns' and Herbert's showing in Round 2, this is history yet again by Fox.DeChambeau hangs around Getty ImagesAfter the controversial two-stroke penalty Bryson DeChambeau received after the second round, all eyes were on the American during the third round, and he did not wilt. Yes, he only shot a 1-under 69, but the magnitude of the situation did not completely tank his round or tournament, leaving him at 6-under and four shots off the lead entering the final round.There have been erratic moments throughout, but DeChambeau has played a poised tournament thus far and can still be a factor in the final round.Tough trip for Burns Getty ImagesSam Burns told us he couldn't really feel the golf club in his hand when he arrived this week. Said when he was trying to recline and lie flat on his international flight, it wasn't working, and it messed with his sleep and body. Turns out his backpack was blocking it.Good stuff from Burns Getty ImagesSam Burns has shot 62-65 in the past two rounds, and according to the broadcast, that is the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history. That has given him a two-shot lead.Scheffler's putter remains a factor Getty ImagesScottie Scheffler put together a rather pedestrian third round today, especially for his standards, and his putter was a major reason why once again. The World No. 1 finished the round with 16 pars, one birdie, one bogey and countless missed birdie putts, leaving valuable scoring opportunities on the greens as he sits at 4-under.To put his putting woes in perspective, Scheffler enters the final round with minus-2.98 strokes gained putting, which ranks 135th at The Open, while he is 13th in greens in regulation. Burns making most of chanceIt is absolutely wild to think about how positive Sam Burns was that he was not going to be here at The Open. Because of his wife Caroline's due date, Sam's mom told me point-blank, right after Shinnecock, that it'd be his last major of the season. What a turn of events here, and an amazing chance for Sam to grab his first major. Leading by two and shot 73 on Thursday.Third round is complete!That's the end of the third round. Lucas Herbert finishes the day at 7-under, and Jackson Suber is at 6-under. Nothing great from them, but they did hang around in probably the biggest rounds of their careers.One group on courseOnly one group is left on the course, as Jackson Suber and Lucas Herbert are on the 18th hole as they wrap up their round. Herbert is 7-under, and Suber is 6-under. Steve Madeley / The AthleticTo nobody’s huge surprise, Bryson DeChambeau walked through the gaggle of waiting reporters for a second successive evening without stopping to chat.Reason to pick Burns Getty ImagesSam Burns is sporting the Raising Cane's logo for the sponsorship on his collar. OK, he's the pick.