SOUTHPORT, England — Nobody in the largest gallery on the course was there to see Sam Burns. At least not originally. They were there for the large, controversial, penalized golfer in his pairing. But by the time the round concluded, they learned they were unintentionally there for the most important round so far of The Open Championship.It was the round Sam Burns took the 54-hole Open lead and made the golfing world take him seriously.Burns shot a steely 65 to skyrocket to 10-under-par and a two-shot lead entering the final round, with Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim in second at 8-under.Burns, a golfer who spent much of his career facing criticism for an inability to compete in the biggest events, has officially shifted his reputation. While Royal Birkdale held all of the late-group contenders to timid scores, Burns shot a 65 with four birdies on the front, the second-best score of the day and the best of anyone teeing off in the afternoon. All of this the day after he tied the men’s major championship record with a thrilling 62.And he did it playing in a group with Bryson DeChambeau, who already takes up all the oxygen in the room, but more than ever Saturday after his controversial two-stroke penalty Friday evening became the story of the tournament. Fans honed in on DeChambeau, primarily in support but not without the occasional jab. It could have easily been a distraction. Instead, Burns went the other way.And he’s doing it when he wasn’t even supposed to be here. Entering July, Burns said he 100 percent was not playing this Open as his wife, Caroline, was due with their second child. Her due date was four days ago. But Caroline gave birth to Belle on July 3, and even then he didn’t plan to play. Caroline brought it up. After some deep thought, with her encouragement and a call with best friend Scottie Scheffler, Burns chose to play. Now he’s leading the whole thing.“I just didn’t think there was any possible way,” Burns said, “and little Belle had different plans.”He said he was quite angry after his Thursday finish — three straight bogeys to end 3-over — but it was a conversation with Caroline that shifted his energy. She told him, “I’m good at home. Like, we’re good. You need to be where your feet are.” It was then he finally settled into trying to win his first major championship. He’s 13-under-par in the 36 holes since, his combined 127 the lowest two rounds in major history.And this performance represents a clear shift for Burns.In those early years as he established himself as a Ryder Cup-caliber player with five PGA Tour wins by age 26, he was a true non-factor in majors. In 12 majors between June 2021 and June 2024, he missed six cuts. He finished outside the top 30 in nine of them. His best finish was a single T20 at a PGA Championship.It’s been four top-10s in the nine majors since and three more T31 or better. More than that, he’s truly contending.Sam Burns carries a two-shot lead into the final round of The Open. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)He had the solo lead at the 2025 U.S. Open with seven holes to go, before extreme weather changed the entire Oakmont course as he faltered. He admirably handled a brutal ruling forcing him to hit out of standing water, all but ending his tournament. He then entered the final round of the 2026 Masters just one back of the lead, finishing T7. And last month at the U.S. Open, a Sunday comeback ended with a final putt just missing the cup, one shot shy of a playoff.Between those performances and an all-around strong 2026, people began taking Burns more seriously. He doesn’t deny the shift in how he approaches those weeks.“I felt like I played a bit too aggressive at times,” Burns said, “and I think at some of these golf courses where you’re penalized 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.”Yet he also gave credit to that best friend, Scheffler. He watched the No. 1 player in the world up close, constantly. He limits mistakes, never forces unnecessary risks and almost always makes the right play.“It wasn’t like I asked him about it or we talked a lot about it,” Burns said. “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.”Now, for the second year in a row, he’ll enter a major championship Sunday with the solo lead. But he’ll do it as a man who knows he’s pretty lucky to be here.“Ultimately, whatever happens. I know that I can accept the outcome, and life’s going to move on,” Burns said. “I’ll get to go home and see my family.“I hope I’m taking some hardware with me.”