Sam Burns holds a two-shot lead as the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale enters its final round on Sunday. He sits at 10-under par following a clean 5-under 65 on Saturday.
The chase for the Claret Jug is officially underway. USA Network handles the early broadcasting window from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. EDT. And fans looking for the complete Round 4 TV schedule can switch over to NBC and Peacock from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Burns tees off at 9:20 a.m. EDT. He will walk the course with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who locked up his spot in the final-round pairings after an aggressive Saturday push. Fox and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim trail Burns closely in a tie for second place at 8-under.
Royal Birkdale is surrendering records without breaking a sweat. Benign weather conditions allowed three different players to shoot rounds of 62 this week. Lucas Herbert and Burns accomplished the feat during Round 2. Fox matched it in Round 3. That score ties the all-time lowest single-round record in men’s major championship history. Branden Grace originally set that exact mark at this same Royal Birkdale course during the 2017 Open Championship.
But not everyone enjoyed a quiet Saturday. Tension spilled over further down the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy openly criticized Bryson DeChambeau following a lengthy rules dispute. DeChambeau received a two-shot penalty for improving his swing path and launched a loud protest. McIlroy called DeChambeau’s actions “performative.” He accused the American of holding the tournament “hostage” by delaying Saturday’s tee times, according to a detailed report on Burns’ lead and McIlroy’s comments.
The final groups now battle the course to claim the final major of 2026.