07/18/26 02:51:00
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07/18 14:49 CDT Oh, baby! Sam Burns takes the lead in a British Open he planned
to miss
Oh, baby! Sam Burns takes the lead in a British Open he planned to miss
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) --- Sam Burns gets his best chance at winning a major
he never planned to play.
Two weeks after his daughter was born, one week after Burns changed his mind
and decided to fly from Louisiana to play in the British Open, he followed his
record-tying 62 with a 5-under 65 on Saturday to build a two-shot lead at Royal
Birkdale.
Perhaps even more impressive is that Burns played with purpose amid the chaos
that is Bryson DeChambeau, who played alongside him and heard big support from
the gallery a day after he theatrically protested a two-shot penalty for
improving the area of his swing.
DeChambeau seems to thrive among distractions, and two late birdies kept him in
the game. Even with a bogey on the final hole --- after playfully engaging with
the gallery --- DeChambeau had a 69 and goes into the final round four shots
behind.
Burns was at 10-under 200 and with a two-shot lead over Si Woo Kim (67) and
Ryan Fox, who became the third player this week to tie the major championship
record with a 62. That took the New Zealander from even par into the final
group with a shot at his first major.
Also still hanging onto hope was Southport's own Tommy Fleetwood, who had a 69
and was five shots behind. About the only one missing was Scottie Scheffler,
the defending champion, who struggled again to make putts and had to settle for
a 70, leaving him six shots behind.
Of the leading 10 players going into Sunday, DeChambeau --- a two-time U.S.
Open champion --- is the only player who has won a major.
That's not to say Burns hasn't experienced the pressure.
He was a 17-foot putt away from forcing a playoff in the U.S. Open last month
at Shinnecock Hills. He was the 54-hole leader in the U.S. Open at Oakmont last
year and was slowed only by wet conditions in which he lost control of two key
shots because of all the water in the fairway.
Part of Burns feels as though he has nothing to lose because he never expected
to be at Royal Birkdale. His wife, Caroline, was due to give birth the week of
the British Open, but he never withdrew. She gave birth to a daughter, Belle,
on July 3.
"To be able to come here was a bonus," Burns said. "I didn't think there was
anyway possible. It will be a great challenge tomorrow. No matter what happens,
I can live with the results."
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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