Sam Burns Didn’t Have His Day At British Open, Finishing 3rd Behind Winner Ryan Fox And Cameron Young

July 19, 2026 Glenn Guilbeau Featured, Men's Golf, More LSU Sports 0

Sam Burns led the British Open entering Sunday, but struggled early in the final round and finished 2-over par and in third. (PGA Tour photo).

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

Sam Burns just needed to make a remarkable putt or two and stay out of trouble. The first didn’t happen, and the second did.

And Burns, the former LSU All-American golfer from Shreveport, lost his best chance for his first major victory after entering the final day of the British Open with a two-stroke lead on Sunday. After a brilliant major record tying 62 on Friday and a 65 on Saturday, he shot a 2-over-72 Sunday to finish third at the Royal Birkdale golf club in Southport, England.

“I just couldn’t find them today,” Burns, 29, said. “Just didn’t have my best stuff. Didn’t have things go my way. I played a lot of great golf this week. Unfortunately, didn’t have my best stuff today. Got off to a bad start, made a couple of mistakes early.”

Ryan Fox, 39, of Auckland, New Zealand, holed a 12-foot birdie on 18 for the win at 10 under, beating Cameron Young, 29, of Scarborough, New York. Young, who went to Wake Forest, shot a 6-under 64 and was in the clubhouse for two hours with the lead, waiting for the others to finish so he would win or make a playoff. Neither happened as he finished second at 9 under.

LSU’s Sam Burns’ Major Belle Could Ring Sunday At The British Open

“Ryan played amazing,” Burns said. “He’s a well-earned champion. Hats off to him. He did what he needed to do down the stretch. Ultimately, I just came up short today.”

Burns suffered three straight bogeys on the front nine as he quickly lost the lead. Through 54 holes, he was at 10-under 200 on Saturday. Over his final 12 holes Sunday, he had zero birdies.

It was another case of not finishing for Burns, who had a chance to win the U.S. Open this year and in 2024 and led the Masters early this year before falling off.

“I think the more you put yourself in this position, the better,” he said.

Considering that Burns did not decide to play in this tournament until just a week ago, he fared extremely well. He had not planned to play as his wife Carolina was due to have their second baby last Tuesday. But daughter Belle came 11 days early on July 3, and Burns eventually decided to make the trip without practicing as much as normal.

“Given the circumstances, I’m very pleased with the week,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being home.”