SOUTHPORT, England — The last time Sam Burns was in the spotlight, it was a tough moment for him. He walked away from the 18th hole at Sinekook, tears in his eyes, after not clinching the U.S. Open last month.
Fast forward to Sunday, and Burns made the trip across the Atlantic from eastern Long Island to compete in the 154th British Open at Royal Birkdale.
He began the final round holding a two-stroke lead but ultimately fell short to Ryan Fox, losing by the same margin.
Burns started at 10 under par but finished with a 2-over 72, bringing his total to 8 under.
All things considered, the week was a bit of a triumph for Burns, especially since he hadn’t planned to travel to the UK right after his wife, Caroline, gave birth to their daughter Belle on July 3.
It was actually his wife’s encouragement that led him to participate in the British Open this week.
Still, it had to sting a bit, particularly after he shot impressive rounds of 62 and 65 on Friday and Saturday.
“Given the circumstances, I’m really pleased with how the week went. I’m eager to get home,” Burns remarked.
This marks yet another close call for Burns, having recently led in two majors only to finish in second place.
“The more I find myself in this position, the more I learn. I played some excellent golf this week,” he said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t quite bring it home today. I had a shaky start and made some early mistakes.”
Interestingly, Burns kicked off Sunday with a birdie on No. 2, momentarily reaching 11 under par—the lowest any player achieved all week. However, he couldn’t regain his footing after hitting three back-to-back bogeys on the 4th, 5th, and 6th holes.
This performance marked Burns’ best finish at the British Open, even though he disclosed earlier that he’s not particularly fond of links golf.
His third-place finish here surpasses his previous highest result of a tie for 31st in 2024.
Currently, he has a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes in majors: a tie for seventh at the Masters, second at the U.S. Open, and now third at the British Open.
