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.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
