Sam Burns shot a 5-under par 65 with a clean back nine in the third round of The Open Championship to take a two-stroke lead Saturday at Southport, England.
Burns sits at 10-under 200 and ahead of New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who became part of history with a third-round 62, and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who posted 67, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Fox and Kim are at 8 under.
Burns is making a run at his first title in a major after strong efforts earlier this year by tying for second in the Masters and finishing as the U.S. Open runner-up.
His 62-65 run over the past two rounds is the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history.
Burns has five victories on the PGA Tour, but none this year.
Fox matched a majors record with 62 early in the day to surge into the lead. He’s the third golfer in this tournament to post 62, joining the accomplishments of Burns and second-round leader Lucas Herbert of Australia from Friday.
Fox, who made the cut by two strokes, moved to 8 under for the tournament after a round sparked by playing the first eight holes in 5 under.
Herbert, whose lone PGA Tour triumph came in the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, slumped to 71 and is tied for fourth place with Ryan Gerard (69) at 7 under.
Bryson DeChambeau, who was embroiled in controversy following the second round after he was assessed a two-stroke penalty, had a steady round of 69 to hold a tie for sixth place. Until the final hole, his only bogey came on the second hole, and he posted birdies on Nos. 6, 15 and 17.
So DeChambeau, who played Saturday in a pairing with Burns, is at 6 under with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (67) and first-round leader Jackson Suber (70).
Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who began the round four strokes off the lead, shot 70 and stayed at 4 under. On the surface, it was a quiet round with a birdie on No. 5 and a bogey at No. 16 along with 16 pars.
