Sam Burns Fires 65 to Claim Two-Shot Lead on Open Championship Leaderboard

Sam Burns leads the Open Championship leaderboard by two strokes after a third-round 65, while Ryan Fox carded a record-tying 62 at Royal Birkdale.

Sam Burns surged to the top of the Open Championship leaderboard on Saturday at Royal Birkdale, carding a 5-under 65 to reach the 54-hole mark with a two-stroke advantage. Seeking his first major title, Burns hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation during his third round and is currently gaining more than six strokes on approach. He leads a chasing pack that includes New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, both of whom sit two shots back. History favors the current frontrunners, as the last 25 Claret Jug winners entered Sunday ranked within the top 10, and each of the past 11 champions was within four strokes of the lead heading into the final round.

Burns entered the week following the July 3 birth of his daughter, Belle, and a text exchange with his wife, Caroline, sparked a turnaround after he finished Thursday’s opening round with three consecutive bogeys. On Friday, he matched the lowest round in major championship history with an 8-under 62. This performance follows a 2024 season where he held the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open at Oakmont before tying for seventh in driving rain. He also nearly forced a playoff at Shinnecock Hills last month, missing a birdie putt on the 18th hole by a half-inch to finish behind Wyndham Clark.

Fox and Kim Chase History at Royal Birkdale

Ryan Fox moved into contention by recording a 62 on Saturday morning, becoming the eighth golfer ever to post that score in a major. Playing in benign conditions, Fox required only 25 putts and converted 140 feet of putts to card nine birdies against a single bogey. The 19-time global winner previously defeated Burns in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open and won the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic last year by beating Harry Higgs and Mackenzie Hughes. Fox indicated he will maintain an aggressive strategy for Sunday’s final round despite the potential for shifting afternoon winds.

Si Woo Kim, currently No. 21 in the Official World Golf Ranking, sits tied for second after posting consecutive rounds of 67. Although he has not won on the PGA Tour in nearly three years, Kim ranks third on tour in strokes gained: approach at .732 and has gained 4.5 strokes in that category this week. Despite ranking 99th in strokes gained: putting entering the tournament, he has gained 3.70 strokes on the greens through three rounds. Kim’s previous links record includes four missed cuts in seven Open starts, with only one top-25 finish.

Debutants and Major Champions in Pursuit

Ryan Gerard remains in the hunt during just his second full PGA Tour season. The 2025 Barracuda Championship winner has three runner-up finishes this year, including a playoff loss to J.T. Poston at The Memorial on June 4. Gerard is attempting to become only the 11th golfer to win The Open in his tournament debut, a feat last achieved by Collin Morikawa in 2021. Meanwhile, Lucas Herbert sits within striking distance despite a 1-over 71 on Saturday. Herbert previously shot a 62 on Friday and recently won the LIV Golf event in Potomac Falls, Virginia, on May 10.

Ludvig Åberg enters Sunday gaining strokes in every major category: off the tee (2.31), approach (1.36), around the green (2.94), and putting (1.34). The 26-year-old is looking to avoid a repeat of the Players Championship, where he lost a three-shot lead on the final day after hitting water hazards on the 11th and 12th holes. Bryson DeChambeau remains a factor at 1-under 69 on Saturday, despite a two-stroke penalty assessed on Friday for improving his swing path on the fifth hole.

Local Hopes and Underdog Stories

Southport native Tommy Fleetwood carries the hopes of the local crowd as the only remaining Englishman with a realistic chance to end a drought dating back to Nick Faldo’s 1992 victory. While compatriots Aaron Rai, Justin Rose, and Matt Fitzpatrick missed the cut, Fleetwood remains ahead of Daniel Brown (4 under) and Matt Wallace (2 under). Additionally, Christopher Suber remains in contention despite having never played a links course or visited Europe prior to arriving at Royal Birkdale last Saturday. Suber held the first-round lead after opening with a 65.