American golfer Sam Burns almost skipped the 154th British Open entirely — his wife Caroline’s due date fell just two days before the championship teed off at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.
As it turned out, daughter Belle had other plans. She arrived ahead of schedule, giving Burns just enough time to catch a flight overseas. Now, heading into Sunday’s final round, the 29-year-old finds himself two shots clear of the field with a chance to claim his first major championship title and the iconic Claret Jug.
“This golf tournament was honestly so far off of my radar and expectations of playing,” Burns told reporters. “I mean, Caroline’s due date was Tuesday this week. She was like four days late with our son. I just didn’t think there was any possible way, and little Belle had different plans for us.”
Even after his daughter was born, Burns wasn’t certain he should leave his family behind. It was his wife who pushed him to go.
“I wasn’t thinking much about it. Caroline was kind of like, so what are you thinking for next week? I was like, I don’t know. Should we talk about it? She was like, yeah,” he recalled.
“Ultimately she’s the one that really encouraged me to come over and play. She basically said I’ve got this at home. Go over there and give it your best, and here we are.”
Burns got off to a shaky start, carding a three-over 73 in his opening round on Thursday — including three consecutive bogeys to close — and it appeared he might be headed home to Louisiana early. But another conversation with his wife helped him refocus.
“I was pretty upset. That’s an understatement,” said Burns, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour. “Talked to Caroline, texted with her, and she basically told me like, you know, you’re over there, and I’m good at home.
“You need to be where your feet are. I think that was really what I needed to hear in that moment. It’s probably what I didn’t want to hear, but I needed to hear it.
“I really think she was the one that kind of gave me that encouragement that I needed and kind of a kick in the butt.”
That mental reset proved transformative. Burns came back with a men’s major record-equaling round of 62 on Friday, then added a 65 on Saturday to vault to the top of the leaderboard. He also finished runner-up at the U.S. Open earlier this year.
With the final round ahead, Burns said he isn’t focused on what his competitors are doing — only on his own game.
“I haven’t looked at the leaderboard. I think ultimately it comes down to I can’t control anything anyone else does,” he said. “Someone’s going to go out and play a great round of golf tomorrow, maybe a few people. It’s pretty much a given. That happens every single week.
“So I’m going to have to do the same. I’m going to have to go out and execute. Ultimately whatever happens, I know that I can accept the outcome, and life’s going to move on. I’ll get to go home and see my family. I hope I’m taking some hardware with me, but if I’m not, that’s fine too.”
