Open 2026: Tommy Fleetwood still dreaming of emotional win as Sam Burns leads at Royal Birkdale
American golfer Sam Burns leads the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale heading into the final round. Meanwhile, English favorite Tommy Fleetwood remains in contention despite a challenging third round.
Why it matters
The Open Championship is one of golf's four major tournaments, drawing significant global sports media attention.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Tommy Fleetwood is aiming to become the first Englishman to win an Open Championship in England since Tony Jacklin in 1969
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale Published 18 July 2026 The Open Championship, round three leaderboard
-10 S Burns (US); -8 R Fox (NZ), SW Kim (Kor); -7 R Gerard (US), L Herbert (Aus)
Selected: -6 B DeChambeau (US), L Aberg (Swe); -5 T Fleetwood (Eng); -4 D Brown (Eng), S Lowry (Ire), S Scheffler (US), J Rahm (Spa); -3 R MacIntyre (Sco); -2 R McIlroy (NI), M Wallace (Eng), J Smith (Eng)
The sides of the shuttle buses ferrying Open fans to Royal Birkdale are plastered with a picture of Tommy Fleetwood holding the Claret Jug.
Everyone knows it is an AI-generated image.
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