Sam Burns suffers another painful major setback after leading Open Championship

Sam Burns entered the final round of the 2026 Open Championship with a two-shot lead and another golden opportunity to capture his first major title. A final-round 72 left him two shots behind champion Ryan Fox and extended Burns’ growing history of painful major championship finishes.Sam Burns keeps putting himself in position to win a major championship. The final step continues to be the hardest one. Burns entered Sunday’s final round of the 2026 Open Championship with a two-shot lead after producing consecutive rounds of 62 and 65 at Royal Birkdale. He had traveled to England unsure of what to expect after the recent birth of his daughter, but suddenly found himself only 18 holes away from lifting the Claret Jug.That dream slipped away during a frustrating final round. Burns shot a two