THE 154TH OPEN

July 18, 2026

Sam Burns

Press Conference

ED HODGE: Good evening, everybody. Delighted to be joined by the third-round leader of the 154th Open, 10-under par, Sam Burns.

Sam, the last two days in particular, fantastic golf, 62, 65. What's been the key to those scores?

SAM BURNS: I think yesterday was just so far out of the golf tournament and just needed to play a really good round to get myself back in it and was fortunate enough to do that.

Then today I got off to a nice start. Hit a wedge close on 2 and hit a really good 4-iron on 4 to have 15 feet or so and was able to hole it.

I think coming into the day, I was just trying to focus on executing and give myself as many looks as possible, and we did a good job of that.

Q. Sam, tell us, what's going to be different about tonight from any other final round night? Or are you going to try to maintain the same thing that you'd always do any other -- not Friday, Saturday night.

SAM BURNS: I don't think it will be much different. I'll be eating dinner significantly later than I typically do. I usually eat dinner at like 5:30. That's long past being able to do that.

Yeah, my brother came over here with me. My coach is here. Travis, my caddie, is here. We're all staying in a house together. Just go back and hang out, relax, have some dinner, and then just shoot the bull.

Q. How aware are you of the nappy factor or the diaper factor, this idea sometimes when a golfer has a kid, they're psychologically free, play better in more tournaments. Do you believe in it, and what do you think of it?

SAM BURNS: I mean, if I was aware of that, I'd have like eight kids by now, I think. (Laughter.)

I was not aware of that. Sounds cool. Yeah, I'm all about it. I think, I've said this to someone earlier, this golf tournament was honestly so far off of my radar and expectations of playing. 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 she was born, after a couple of days, 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.

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.

Q. Sam, was there a point during this week, though, where you finally settled in and realised, okay, I am here at a major; I am in the midst of this? Obviously you struggled a little bit in the first round compared to what you've done in the last couple days. Was there some point during the week where you were like, okay, I'd better get serious?

SAM BURNS: After finishing bogey, bogey, bogey on Thursday, I was pretty upset. That's an understatement.

Talked to Caroline, texted with her, and she basically told me like, you know, you're over there, and I'm good at home. Like, we're good. 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.

Came out Friday and had nothing to lose. I honestly feel like I played a pretty good round of golf for 15 holes on Thursday, and then just a really sloppy finish the last three. I feel like my game was in a good place. Maybe I didn't have the normal preparation, flying overseas, getting here midday Monday. When I played nine holes on Monday, I couldn't feel my toes from my fingers. I mean, it was bad. I played really bad.

Then after a few days started to feel a little bit better. Yeah, 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.

Q. When you were going through some of those years a few years ago where you're obviously a top player but just weren't quite having the major success you hoped for, was there something like with these weeks that you had to work on or something tangible you had to focus on to treat it differently, or is it just you're playing better now?

SAM BURNS: I would think -- I'd say a little bit of both. I think they kind of go hand in hand. I felt like I played a bit too aggressive at times, and I think at some of these golf courses where you're penalised a little bit more than a typical Tour golf course we play, I think I hadn't quite learned that the hard way yet. It took a bit longer for me.

It helped that I got to play a lot of golf with the best player on the planet and kind of watch what he does. I mean, he's far and beyond the best person that does that. I mean, he just, he makes so few mistakes, and he doesn't take on unnecessary risks very often, if ever, and seems to always hit the correct shot in the moment.

It wasn't like I asked him about it or we talked a lot about it. It was just me observing. I think that had a pretty large impact on me the last couple years in the majors and just kind of watching how he prepares and the way he goes about it.

Q. Hopefully he didn't totally steal my question, but taking that idea of playing in majors and drilling down to Sunday, I know at Shinnecock you didn't quite catch Wyndham, but it felt like you were the best player on the course among the contenders. Even compared to a year earlier at Oakmont, you seemed more at ease and more comfortable. Did something change or anything specifically you put into play on that day or that you took from previous Sundays when you were in contention?

SAM BURNS: Nothing necessarily, I think, really changed. I feel like I've been playing really solid all week, and I think a lot of times the difference in finishing three shots back and winning by one is such a small margin. I mean, it's just, it's one more up-and-down here, one more holed putt there. I think that would have kind of been a little bit of the difference for me in some of those moments.

Same thing on Sunday at Shinnecock; I got off to a really nice start, and I felt like, especially around there, if you could go out and post a number, you'd have a pretty good chance. I mean, ultimately Wyndham played an incredible round late on the back nine, and he's a well-deserving champion.

Yeah, that one was difficult just because I feel like I played a really, really nice round of golf that day. Obviously I wish I could have holed one of those putts on the last two, but it is what it is. I learned a lot. I feel like I did a good job of going out and executing and kind of sticking to our game plan.

I think in those moments when you leave, yeah, it sucks to finish second, but you can be proud of that.

Q. You had mentioned your brother travelling with you. Is that something that's kind of typical with you guys, or is it pretty rare for him to do that? Does it help to have a little bit of family?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, he has three young kids at home -- so shout-out to his wife too. He basically just told me, he's like, look, if you need someone to come with you and hang out and be there with you, I'm going to be there. I kind of told him, I was like, look, I'm staying with Travis and Brad. They're both going to be here. I don't want you to feel like you have to come. He's like, no, I'm coming.

It's been a blast. We've had a great time, and it's been really fun.

Q. Is he younger or older?

SAM BURNS: He's older.

Q. Sam, it's been a few years since you've been in the winner's circle. What do you think has held you back?

SAM BURNS: I think kind of like I just mentioned, I mean, the margin is so thin that I just haven't quite been able to hole that extra putt or make that extra chip or whatever it is. I feel like at times I've played well enough to win, and also I feel like there's times where maybe I've back-doored a top ten or back-doored a top five. So it looks really good on paper, but I haven't necessarily felt as close as maybe I thought I should to win.

I think ultimately it comes down to being able to go out there and execute. I feel like, when I've been close, I haven't been able to do that as well as I would like to. The that will be the game plan for tomorrow; just try to go out there and give myself as many looks as possible on the greens and see what happens.

Q. What was the environment like out there playing with Bryson today, and did you discuss with him the penalty at all?

SAM BURNS: I thought the fans were very supportive of Bryson today. We didn't discuss it any.

In my personal opinion, I honestly feel bad for Bryson in the situation that he was in. From my perspective, I didn't feel like maybe there was enough evidence for him to deserve a penalty there.

I feel bad for him. I think he played an incredible round of golf late yesterday, and it's unfortunate to have something kind of like that where they come in after your round and tell you you're being docked two shots.

But props to him. He came out and played a really nice round of golf today, and that takes a lot of grit to be able to come out and do that. So I was impressed.

Q. A moment to talk about your wife and your sister-in-law. Is your wife the boss in your relationship? Does she, as we say over here, wear the trousers?

SAM BURNS: Are you trying to get me in trouble, or what is your plan here?

Q. No.

SAM BURNS: She's an incredible woman. We have a great marriage, and I love her very much.

Are you married?

Q. I am.

SAM BURNS: Is your wife the boss?

Q. Well, I haven't got one at the moment. I've had a few.

SAM BURNS: Oh, okay.

(Laughter)

Q. Difficult to lead on from that. Forgive me if you've been asked this already, but why couldn't you feel your fingers and your toes when you arrived on Monday?

SAM BURNS: Well, I had a little kind of difficult situation with my lay flat seat on the way over here. I was really looking forward to laying flat and actually sleeping the whole way, and I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to get my seat to lay back all the way. It just kind of barely reclined. About three hours into the flight, I realized when I looked down, my backpack was in the way.

So sitting for three hours was not very comfortable. Didn't really get much sleep, and I came straight out to the golf course after flying, I don't know how many miles that is, a lot, eight-hour flight. That's just not typically what I do before I go play a round of golf. So the club just felt really weird.

Q. That's like most people flying in economy, I'm afraid to say. We don't get numb fingers or toes.

SAM BURNS: They weren't numb, I just couldn't feel the golf club at all. I don't recommend it, I would say that.

Q. Sam, can you recall a major where you've had this level of preparation before in your career? I'm assuming this is less golf than you're typically playing leading into a major week?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, probably not. They also aerated the fairways and the greens Monday before I came here at the golf course I play at. So maybe that was a sign, I don't know.

Yeah, definitely different, a lot different preparation for sure. But I think, more so if anything, it was mental. If I could get over the mental hurdle of leaving my family and being halfway across the world, I think that was going to be the bigger challenge for me.

I actually called Scottie the week before just to talk to him about it, just to kind of see if I was thinking the right way about the situation. He gave me some good words of encouragement, and just my wife and I kind of had a conversation about it every day.

You know, like I said, she said, I've got this under control. We're good. You should go over and play.

Q. Was it still hard on the way out the door to say good-bye?

SAM BURNS: Very.

Q. You were saying you've come close on so many occasions recently. Have you changed how you've adapted taking on final days recently in your career compared to the start?

SAM BURNS: I don't really think so. I would say, kind of back to my point earlier, if anything, I've played a bit too aggressive and maybe hit some wrong shots at the wrong times.

So I think, especially when -- it's not very often you get a perfect number and a perfect wind direction out on the golf course. So I think in some of the past situations, I would have tried to maybe take a flag on or try to do something crazy.

So just realizing that getting the ball on the green to 40 feet is not a bad thing, especially in major championships and getting a putter in my hand.

So I think just try to learn from some of those different situations.

Q. Because you're seeing it's quite a clustered leaderboard right now, everyone is tightly packed together. Is there a way to define the difference between an aggressive and defensive approach going into it?

SAM BURNS: Yeah, I don't know. I haven't looked at the leaderboard. I think ultimately it comes down to I can't control anything anyone else does. 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.

Q. Sam, why do you think you got so emotional at the end of the U.S. Open during your press conference there?

SAM BURNS: I think for one it was just a really long and hard week. Shinnecock is a very difficult golf course, and it takes a lot out of you. Any time you're in contention of any golf tournament, much less a major, that's very taxing and a difficult thing to do mentally and physically.

I think I was exhausted at the end. Obviously it being Father's Day and my dad being there and me being a father and what that could have meant as a memory for us. I think just feeling the weight of that a little bit while also being extremely tired and exhausted mentally and emotionally.

So I think that just all kind of came out in that moment.

Q. Is there any significance to your daughter's name?

SAM BURNS: We had a couple names. We wouldn't find out the gender before. It was a surprise. We'd had a couple names picked out. My wife's maiden name is Campbell, and we always loved that name and wanted to try to do something with it. That's kind of where we got it from.

Obviously, it's not that similar, but that's the -- the Belle is from the Campbell part.

Q. How do you spell your daughter's name correctly?

SAM BURNS: B-e-l-l-e.