By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Belle will be ringing if her dad wins the British Open on Sunday.
Sam Burns, a former LSU golfer from Shreveport, leads the British Open in Southport, England, by two strokes after firing a 5-under-par 65 at the Royal Birkdale golf club on Saturday following a major championship record 62 on Friday for a three-day score of a 10-under 200.
South Korean Si Woo Kim and New Zealander Ryan Fox are two shots back for a second place tie after Fox tied the major record with a 62 on Saturday. Australian Lucas Herbert, who also had a record 62 Friday, is three shots back as is Ryan Gerard of Raleigh, North Carolina. Bryson DeChambeau, the only player among the top 10 leaders to have won a major, is four shots back. Southport’s own Tommy Fleetwood is five behind, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler is six back.
And Burns was supposed to be back home in Choudrant near Ruston watching it all on TV with his family, instead of sitting on top of the leaderboard in a Victorian resort town on the Irish Sea.
Burns, 29, had not planned on playing this tournament because his wife Caroline was scheduled to have their second child last Tuesday. But their baby girl, Belle, rang early and was born on July 3 instead. Burns, though, still hadn’t decided if he would make the trip until just last week when his wife convinced him to go for it.
“I didn’t have the normal preparation that I typically do,” Burns said in a Golf Channel interview after his round Saturday. “But ultimately, it was more of a mental thing than anything. If I could get over the hump mentally of being away from my family – that was going to be the biggest challenge. Honestly, it took a couple days, even after being here.”
Burns shot a 73 in the first round on Thursday and was in 106th place.
“I felt like, ‘Did I make the right decision to come?’ But ultimately, whatever happens on Sunday, it’ll be fun and exciting, and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Burns said.
Burns’ record 62 on Friday put him in fifth place at the time.
Burns’ parents are with his wife, Belle and the couple’s son Bear, who was born in 2024, in Choudrant. Burns’ older brother Chase made the trip to the tournament.
“To be able to come here was a bonus,” Burns said.
Burns could win his first major in the same week he became a father again after just missing a 16-foot putt last Father’s Day in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York, that would have forced a playoff. And his father Todd Burns was right there with him.
Burns openly wept at his U.S. Open press conference following the loss to Wyndham Clark by a stroke when his father’s being there was brought up.
“It would’ve been really special,” he said.
Burns led the Masters after the first round last April before finishing seventh. He led the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 2024 after three rounds before finishing seventh. His best finish at the British Open was 31st in 2024.
“I didn’t think there was anyway possible I’d be here,” Burns said Saturday. “No matter what happens, I’m fine with the results.”
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