Is it Sam Burns’ time at 2026 British Open?

SOUTHPORT, England — Sam Burns has become golf’s second fiddle.

Burns was runner-up to Wyndham Clark at this year’s U.S. Open, a grazed-edge putt at the 18th away from a playoff. Burns might very well have won the 2025 U.S. Open if he had been allowed to take a drop for casual water at the 15th at Oakmont. He is also the best friend of the best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, a constant vacuum of attention. In a week Scheffler is contending, Burns can expect as many questions about Scheffler as he receives about himself.

That is Burns’ reality. He’s 18 holes from changing it.

As the shadows lengthened around Royal Birkdale on Saturday night and the 18th grandstand emptied, one name was firmly planted atop it.

Burns, who shot 3 over in the first round and looked ready for an early flight back to see his newborn baby girl, has miraculously flown to the top of the leaderboard. After a record-tying 62 on Friday, Burns backed it up with a 65 to take a two-shot lead entering the final round of The Open.

That Burns is in this position is the product of several unexpected outcomes, though the final result may be an outcome long considered likely.

To start, Burns never intended to play The Open. He planned for last month’s U.S. Open to be his last major championship of the year and for good reason. He and his wife Caroline were expecting their second child, and the due date was Tuesday, July 14. But the Burns’ baby girl, Belle, arrived early, born on July 3, potentially opening the door to play.

That didn’t mean all systems were a go. Burns still had significant reservations about leaving behind his newborn and even consulted Scheffler, who has two children of his own. It was Burns’ wife who encouraged and eventually convinced him to go. He didn’t make up his mind until Friday, two days before he left.

“She basically said I've got this at home. Go over there and give it your best, and here we are,” Burns said.

Then there’s the actual golf and the hole he dug himself on Thursday. Burns closed his first round with three straight bogeys to shoot 73, tied for 106th. Only one golfer has ever won The Open after starting the second round outside the top 50, let alone the top 100. That was Mark O'Meara in 1998.

Burns took advantage of easier conditions Friday morning, carding the second of two 62s shot within 30 minutes of each other. That placed Burns in the throes of contention, and he capitalized on that opportunity Saturday. He birdied four of his first eight holes to take the lead. He shared it at times on the back nine, but never relinquished a piece of it. Birdies at the 14th and 17th ensured the two-stroke cushion.

Burns credited his wife for the drastic improvement, too.

“She basically told me like, you know, you're over there, and I'm good at home. Like, we're good. You need to be where your feet are. I think that was really what I needed to hear in that moment,” Burns said. It's probably what I didn't want to hear, but I needed to hear it.

“Came out Friday and had nothing to lose.”

Now to the task at hand, which presents its own set of challenges and history reversing.

Burns has carved out a solid career with five PGA TOUR wins. But he doesn’t win like this. He is only 1-for-5 in converting 54-hole leads, and he hasn’t done well in majors when he starts around the top of the leaderboard.

Burns began the final round within one stroke of the lead at the 2024 The Open, the 2025 U.S. Open, and the 2026 Masters. He finished outside the top five in all of them. He has never done particularly well here, either. His best finish at The Open was a T31 in 2024 when he fell apart and shot 80 in the final round.

Does Burns believe he has changed? His strategy certainly has.

“I felt like I played a bit too aggressive at times, and I think at some of these golf courses where you're penalized a little bit more than a typical TOUR golf course we play, I think I hadn't quite learned that the hard way yet,” Burns said. “It took a bit longer for me.”

“It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and kind of watch what he does,” Burns added. “I mean, he's far and beyond the best person that does that. I mean, he just, he makes so few mistakes, and he doesn't take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.”

Maybe there is a benefit to being second fiddle after all.