Sam Burns seeks his sixth PGA Tour title in his 199th start on Tour. This championship would represent his first major victory. The win would come in his 26th major championship start. Burns has recorded top-10 finishes in four of his last nine major appearances. He finished T9 at the 2024 U.S. Open and T7 at the 2025 U.S. Open. He also placed T7 at the 2026 Masters and finished 2nd at the 2026 U.S. Open. In his first 16 major starts, Burns managed only one top-25 finish, achieved at the 2022 PGA Championship with a T20.

A victory would mark Burns's sixth Open Championship appearance overall. His previous best finish came at T31 in 2024. Burns would become the 13th consecutive first-time winner of The Open. This streak represents the longest sequence of first-time winners at The Open. The streak began with Phil Mickelson's victory in 2013.

Burns posted a personal-best 54-hole score in a major championship with 200. Previously, his best 54-hole score in a major was 206. He achieved that 206 score at the 2025 U.S. Open and 2026 Masters Tournament. Burns holds his sixth 54-hole lead or co-lead on Tour. He has converted one of his previous five such leads into victory. That victory came at the 2021 Valspar Championship.

This represents Burns's second 54-hole lead or co-lead in a major championship. He held a 54-hole lead at the 2025 U.S. Open and finished T7. Burns seeks to become only the second player to win The Open after starting outside the top 50 following the first round. Mark O'Meara accomplished this feat in 1998. Burns was T106 after his opening round of 73. He then tied the all-time major 18-hole scoring record with a 62 in the second round.

Ryan Fox, tied for second at minus-8, seeks to become the second New Zealand player to win The Open Championship. Bob Charles won the championship in 1963 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Fox currently ranks No. 56 in the Official World Golf Ranking. If victorious, he would become the lowest-ranked winner of the event since Darren Clarke in 2011, who ranked No. 111.

Si Woo Kim, a Seoul, South Korea native, seeks to become the first player from Asia to win The Open Championship. He makes his eighth start at the event, with his best previous finish being T15 in 2022. A victory would mark his 38th major championship appearance overall. His best major championship finish is T8 at the 2025 PGA Championship.

Ryan Gerard finished tied for fourth at seven-under par. He trails the leader by three strokes in his pursuit of history. Gerard seeks to become the 11th player winning The Open in their debut. Collin Morikawa most recently achieved this feat in 2021 at Royal St. George's.

Gerard won the 2025 Barracuda Championship, marking his lone victory. This triumph came across 73 PGA Tour starts.

Lucas Herbert matched the all-time major 18-hole scoring record with a 62. He finished tied for fourth place at 7-under par. In the third round, Herbert recorded a 71.

Herbert seeks to become the third Australian winner at Royal Birkdale. Peter Thomson won the championship in 1954 and 1965. Ian Baker-Finch won in 1991.

Jackson Suber holds the first-round lead at The Open Championship. He seeks to become the first 18-hole leader or co-leader to win since Jordan Spieth in 2017. Suber finished tied for sixth place at six-under par.

This appearance marks Suber's third major championship. He missed the cut at the 2024 U.S. Open, finishing 73rd. He also missed the cut at the 2026 U.S. Open.