The 2026 Open went from a leaderboard filled with hitter after hitter to featuring only one player with a major championship on his résumé in the top 10. That man is Bryson DeChambeau, who owns two U.S. Open trophies, but it is now DeChambeau’s Saturday playing partner who the field will aim to chase down come Sunday’s final round.
Sam Burns has been simply sensational over the last 36 holes. The five-time PGA Tour winner matched the lowest round in major championship history on Friday, then pulled off perhaps an even more difficult task, following it up. Burns did not miss a beat Saturday at Royal Birkdale, signing for the second-lowest round of the day (65) to register the lowest scoring total across consecutive rounds in any men’s major championship (127).
Burns will enter the final round at 10 under with a two-stroke lead over Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim. This after being thrust into the DeChambeau circus with the 29-year-old handling it in stride, embracing the environment while stacking quality shots to emerge atop the leaderboard.
A winner at every level of his career, Burns has been snowballing towards this result, especially of late. He was a fixture at the Masters in April and nearly chased down Wyndham Clark at Shinnecock Hills, a major in which Clark started the final round six clear of the field before winning by just one.
So Burns understands just how little two strokes can be. He understands how just one hole can flip this tournament on its head and how quickly it can materialize. A tee shot in a pot bunker. A bad bounce. A ruling going against you — see the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont. He knows that anything can happen in the final round of a major championship.
“Ultimately, it comes down to I can’t control anything anyone else does,” Burns said. “Someone’s going to go out and play a great round of golf [on Sunday], maybe a few people. It’s pretty much a given. That happens every single week.
“So, I’m going to have to do the same. I’m going to have to go out and execute. Ultimately, whatever happens, I know that I can accept the outcome, and life’s going to move on. I’ll get to go home and see my family. I hope I’m taking some hardware with me, but if I’m not, that’s fine, too.”
Will anyone step up and catch Burns during Sunday’s final round? Let’s break down the seven top contenders (other than Burns) for the Claret Jug and title of Champion Golfer of the Year.
2026 Open picks, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook