After one of the more fiery 24 hours in Open history, how appropriate that a golfer named Burns leads going into the final round at Royal Birkdale.
- Sam Burns shot a five-under 65 to finish on -10, sitting two shots clear of Ryan Fox and Kim Si-woo.
- Sam Burns nearly missed the Open after daughter Belle was born 11 days early, allowing him to play unexpectedly.
- Most home challengers faded; Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick dropped back, while Tommy Fleetwood held at -5.
- Bookmakers now list Sam Burns as a warm favorite; Scottie Scheffler praised his talent and predicted major success.
While Rory McIlroy directed spicy barbs at Bryson DeChambeau, as the row over the American’s behaviour after he was docked two shots for a rules infringement rumbled on, Sam Burns was coolness personified.
On a Saturday where just 12 of the final 40 golfers broke par, the American shot a five-under 65 to finish on -10, taking him two shots clear of New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Kim Si-woo of South Korea.
What makes Burns’ performance even more extraordinary is that he wasn’t expecting to be at Royal Birkdale at all – until his daughter, Belle, was born 11 days early and he was able to make it.
“This golf tournament was, honestly, so far off of my radar and expectations of playing,” said Burns. “Caroline’s due date was Tuesday this week. I just didn’t think there was any possible way, but little Belle had different plans for us.”
There is a theory in golf called the “the nappy factor”, about the tendency of fathers of newborns to win tournaments more than you might expect. However, Burns said that was news to him. “If I was aware of that, I’d have like eight kids by now, I think,” he said, smiling.
“You feel like you can shoot a score in the morning and the greens are perfect, that if you do roll it well, you feel like you hole everything.”
And what of the rest of the home challenge? For the most part it fell back. Robert MacIntyre shot level par to finish at -3, while Tyrrell Hatton finished with a four-over par 74 to drop back to +1. Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick also fell away.
The one exception was Fleetwood, although he was disappointed to drop two shots late on to finish at -5.
“It was a strange day,” he said. “I felt like I played really well but I got nothing on the closing stretch. It’s a bit frustrating but it could have been worse and you never know what could happen tomorrow. The tournament is not in my hands. It’s not like I am going out and it is there on a plate for me. I have to play the best I can, enjoy it, and we’ll see.”
However, Burns, who was seventh in this year’s Masters and second at the US Open, is the man to beat, as his close friend Scheffler acknowledged. “Sam’s a guy that’s been on the last few Ryder Cups, last few Presidents Cups, and he’s a guy that I see all the time,” he said. “He’s got a ton of talent. For me, it’s just a matter of time until he gets it done in one of these.”
The bookmakers concur. A couple of weeks ago, Burns was as high as 35-1 for the Open. Now he is a warm favourite for his first major. But Royal Birkdale – and his rivals – may yet have other ideas.
