British Open Leaderboard 2026 Review of Top Scorecards and Player Stats on Day 3

Sam Burns is one round away from finally claiming his first major championship.

Burns is the 54-hole leader of The Open at Royal Birkdale with a two-shot lead over Si Woo Kim and Ryan Fox.

The 29-year-old American put together a third-round 65 to follow up a record-tying 62 on Saturday.

The job isn't done yet, as Burns would know. He was in contention at The Masters in April, but he couldn't close the deal on Sunday.

Only one previous major winner is within four shots of Burns. That is Bryson DeChambeau at six-under.

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm are among the previous major winners who could be in contention with low Sunday rounds and some pressure-packed over-par rounds from the leaders.

Sam Burns Holds 2-Shot Lead

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Sam Burns made history with his scoring on Saturday.

The five-under 65 gave him a 127 across the last two rounds. That is the lowest consecutive round score in men's major history, per golf reporter Justin Ray.

Burns started the round with four birdies across his first eight holes.

He bogeyed the ninth hole, but then he bounced back with seven pars and a pair of birdies on the back nine.

Burns was the 54-hole leader last year at the U.S. Open before he lost that tournament to J.J. Spaun.

He's been in the mix at a handful of recent majors with a tie for seventh at the 2026 Masters and three straight top 10s at the U.S. Open.

Burns should learn from those past experiences as he chases the Claret Jug on Sunday among a group of golfers going after their first major titles.

Ryan Fox Surges Into Tie For Second With 62

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Ryan Fox became the third player in the tournament to tie the best round in men's major tournament history.

Fox shot an eight-under 62 to surge into a tie for second with Si Woo Kim from one of the earlier tee times on Saturday.

Fox took advantage of the front nine with five birdies in the opening eight holes.

He finished his round with three birdies across the final five holes to set the best score of Saturday's round.

Fox has never finished inside the top 10 of a major. His best finish at The Open was a tie for 16th in 2019.

Like Burns and many others, Fox will have to deal with the pressure of being near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. The winner could easily be which of the golfers handle the pressure best.

Bryson DeChambeau Is Lone Previous Major Winner in Top 10

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Bryson DeChambeau is the only player inside the top 10 with a major title on his resume.

DeChambeau recorded a one-under 69 on Saturday after a Friday round full of controversy. He seemed to shake off the two-stroke penalty he received at the end of the second round.

DeChambeau is four strokes back of Burns, and in order to put pressure on the leaders, he needs to get off to a fast start on Sunday.

He has four birdies on the opening six holes all week. He needs to be under par through five holes to make a push in case Burns, or someone else, puts in a low round.

Other previous major winners aren't too far back, like Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm at four-under, but right now, DeChambeau is the most notable name within reach of the Claret Jug.