Sam Burns never planned to play the British Open this year. Two weeks after his daughter was born, he changed his mind and flew from Louisiana to England. Now he leads the tournament by two shots.
Burns shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, building on his record-tying 62 from Friday to reach 10-under 200 for the championship. He leads Si Woo Kim and Ryan Fox, who on Saturday became the third player this week to tie the major championship record with a 62.
Burns was paired Saturday with Bryson DeChambeau, who played a day after theatrically protesting a two-shot penalty for improving the path of his swing on the fifth hole Friday. The penalty pushed DeChambeau three shots behind instead of one back. He pressed on, high-fiving the gallery and playing to the crowd, and finished with a 69. That was his sixth consecutive round in the 60s at the British Open. DeChambeau did not speak to the media after his round.
Rory McIlroy did speak to reporters. He referred to DeChambeau's protest of the penalty as "performative." "I think a lot of it's for attention," McIlroy said after his own 69 left him eight shots behind Burns. McIlroy also accused DeChambeau of holding the tournament "hostage" because the protest scene delayed Saturday's tee times.
Burns had originally planned to skip the Open entirely. His wife, Caroline, was due to give birth to their second child the Tuesday before the tournament began. Their first child had arrived four days late, so Burns did not think he would make it to England in time.
Their daughter Belle was born July 3. That opened the door. Burns had a conversation with his wife and a phone call with close friend Scottie Scheffler, and a week ago Friday he decided to make the trip.
"I just didn't think there was any possible way," Burns said. "And little Belle had different plans."
Burns credited his wife with pushing him to go. "Ultimately she's the one that really encouraged me to come over and play," he said.
When a reporter suggested that golfers with newborns have more freedom when they play, Burns pushed back. "If I was aware of that, I'd have like eight kids by now," he said.
Fox, the 39-year-old from New Zealand who also shot a 62 Saturday, will join Burns in the final group Sunday with a shot at his first major championship.
