Sam Burns of the United States plays a shot on the 16th hole during the third day of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, in Southport, England, on July 18, 2026.

| Photo Credit: AP

Sam Burns shot a 5-under par 65 with a clean back nine in the third round of The Open ​Championship to take a two-stroke lead Saturday (July 18, 2026) at Southport, England.Burns sits ‌at 10-under 200 and ahead of New Zealand’s ​Ryan Fox, who became part of history with ⁠a third-round 62, and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who posted 67, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Fox and Kim are at 8 ‌under.Burns is making a run at his first title in a major after strong efforts earlier ‌this year by tying for second in the Masters ‌and ⁠finishing as the U.S. Open runner-up.His 62-65 run ⁠over the past two rounds is the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history.Burns has five victories on the PGA Tour, but none this ​year.Fox matched a majors ‌record with 62 early in the day to surge into the lead. He’s the third golfer in this tournament to post 62, joining the accomplishments of Burns and second-round ‌leader Lucas Herbert of Australia from Friday.Fox, who made ​the cut by two strokes, moved to 8 under for the tournament after a round sparked by ⁠playing the first eight holes in 5 under.Herbert, whose lone PGA Tour triumph came in the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, ‌slumped to 71 and is tied for fourth place with Ryan Gerard (69) at 7 under.Bryson DeChambeau, who was embroiled in controversy following the second round after he was assessed a two-stroke penalty, had a steady round of 69 to hold a tie for sixth place. Until the final hole, ‌his only bogey came on the second hole, and he posted birdies ​on Nos. 6, 15 and 17.So DeChambeau, who played Saturday in a pairing with Burns, is ⁠at 6 under with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (67) and first-round leader Jackson ⁠Suber (70).Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who began the round four strokes off the lead, ‌shot 70 and stayed at 4 under. On the surface, it was a quiet round with a birdie ​on No. 5 and a bogey at No. 16 along with 16 pars. Published - July 19, 2026 03:14 am IST