Sam Burns is the bookies' favorite to win The Open Championship - but the American nearly missed the tournament due to the birth of his second child.

Burns holds a two-shot lead over Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim heading into the final day at Royal Birkdale, having ended his third round at 10 under par.

The American has never won a major championship - despite several near-misses in recent years - and he almost had to skip this Open Championship. 

Burns' wife, Caroline, was expecting to give birth in mid-July. But the couple's second child, Belle, arrived 11 days early. And, according to NBC, Burns decided late last week to head across the pond to take on Royal Birkdale. Thankfully, his agent - Brett Falkoff - had kept his place in the field.

'It's been crazy, obviously, in a good way,' Burns told NBC. 'It's obviously crazy when you have a newborn, and I'm sure crazier for my wife not having me there to help. 

'Not that I can do much, but she's a rock star, and thankfully she's such an incredible mom. Ultimately, that's the reason I came over here. She said: "I've got it under control over here, so you try to go over there and take care of business."

Remarkably, Burns was three over par after his first round at Royal Birkdale. But he stormed up the leaderboard with a 62 on Friday that matched the best-ever round in major championship history. 

The American followed it up with a third-round 65 on Saturday that puts him in pole position. Since 2024, Burns has had four top-10 finishes but a first major title still eludes him.

He finished second at this year's US Open, one shot behind winner Wyndham Clark, after missing a putt to force a playoff on the final hole.

'I thought about it for a couple days, and then life goes on,' Burns said. 'Being able to come play here was a bonus this week. 

'I didn't think there was any possibility. So I'm excited. I think it's a great challenge tomorrow. And ultimately, whatever happens, I can live with the result. '