Several contenders on the move as challenge to Open leader Burns gathers pace

American Sam Burns held a two-shot overnight lead heading into the final round of The Open at Royal Birkdale

Scottie Scheffler was at four-under heading into the final round at the 2026 Open but three front nine birdies moved him up the leaderboard. Pic: Jacob King/PA Wire.

The challenge to front-runner Sam Burns was gathering pace at The 154th Open Championship on Sunday, before the overnight leader had begun his final round.

American Burns had held a two-shot lead on the field after 54 holes at Royal Birkdale, having backed up his record-equalling best men’s major championship round of 62 on Friday with a four-under par 66 the following day.

Yet as last month’s US Open runner-up prepared to tee off in the final group alongside New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who shot his own 62 on Saturday to reach eight-under par, there were some significant moves being made from a stacked chasing pack. 

Cameron Young compiled a front nine of 29, four under, to move to within two shots of compatriot Burns while world number one and defending champion Scottie Scheffler and another American Russell Henley, had reached seven under par at the respective stages of their rounds.

Henley, whose highest finish in a major had come with a third behind Rory McIlroy at The Masters in April, had started the final day nine shots adrift of the leader at one under par for the week but was six under for his round and bogey free after a birdie at the par-five 14th. 

Scheffler was at four under as he began the final round of his title defence having won by four strokes 12 months ago at Portrush. He birdied his first two holes and then the fifth.

Also on the move was Ireland’s Shane Lowry, whose 2019 Open title had also come at Portrush. He had bogeyed the opening hole after finding rough right of the tee and missed the green from there, chipping on to inside two feet and putting for a five from there.

Lowry’s round sparked to life at the par-four third where he birdied from seven feet and gained a further shot at the par-three fourth, chipping in from a greenside bunker to reach five-under.

World number two McIlroy was one-under for his final round, three-under for the tournament as he reached the par-five 14th. At the conclusion of his third-round 69 on Saturday he had admitted he had given himself far too much ground to make up to a second Open title to his six major titles. The back-to-back Masters champion’s expectations were seemingly being met on Sunday as leaders Burns and Fox got their last 18s of the week underway, 15 minutes behind schedule after a lengthy rules discussion at the first hole in an earlier group, England’s Dan Brown having driven very close to out of bounds seven groups earlier.