Historic stretch leaves Sam Burns on brink of first major championship

Sam Burns rides historic two-day stretch to Open Championship 54-hole lead

The PGA Tour's No. 18-ranked player shot a 31 on the front nine, birdieing four of the first eight holes before breaking a streak of 26 consecutive holes without a bogey.

True to Burns' pre-round strategy, he had plenty of excellent looks thanks to a strong approach game, including on the par-3 No. 7 when a 117-yard tee shot left him with a two-foot birdie putt.

On the following par-4, Burns' second shot 92 yards from the pin ended four feet short from going in, setting up another manageable putt for birdie. 

His final birdie at No. 17 came off a shot when Burns successfully worked his way out of the rough to give himself a five-footer on the green.

Burns also managed to save par on No. 18, the second-hardest hole at this year's Open, with an impressive third shot that gave him a putt from within two feet to end the round.

Per The Open.com data, Burns is tied with five other golfers for seventh in greens in regulation (75.9 percent) while ranking third in approach strokes gained.

Even when needing a long putt on Saturday, he delivered, as on No. 14 when he moved into a tie for first at nine-under with a 30-foot birdie.

Burns' historic run began on Friday, a round that ended with a fantastic sand save for birdie.

Despite the incredible two rounds, he doesn't have the luxury of coasting through The Open's final 18 holes. The way the tournament has gone, the 2026 Claret Jug is still anyone's to claim. On Saturday, Fox became the third golfer this weekend to shoot a 62, joining Burns and Lucas Herbert, who also accomplished the feat in Round 2. Will we get a fourth on Sunday? The idea can't be excluded.

Burns is seeking his first major title in what PGA Tour communications notes is his 26th grand slam event. He's been trending in the right direction with four top-10 finishes in his last nine majors after only one top-25 in his first 16.

After incredible second and third rounds, the only thing standing in Burns' way of a breakthrough major championship may be the return of his first-round form. But he appears to have discovered something over the past two days. Unless the course fights back, Burns will be hard to catch.