What's happened
Fleetwood is chasing a maiden Open title at Royal Birkdale as Sam Burns leads with Lucas Herbert and DeChambeau in pursuit. The local favourite has two late bogeys in round three that dashed the dream but remains in contention ahead of Sunday’s final round.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Fleetwood is the local favourite and is delivering under pressure as the Open heads to its final day.
- The leaderboard is tight, with Burns at the top and a cluster behind him including Fox and Kim Si-woo, while DeChambeau is lurking after penalties.
- The atmosphere around Birkdale could influence the final 18 holes, as fans rally behind the Southport-born star.
What this means
- A Fleetwood win would cap a remarkable local celebration and seal a career-defining major on a course he loves.
How we got here
Fleetwood grew up in Southport and has long dreamed of winning a major at Royal Birkdale. He has been a Ryder Cup talisman and PGA Tour winner, with strong support from the home crowd as he chases a major prize at the famous links.
Our analysis
BBC Sport provides ongoing updates from Royal Birkdale, highlighting Fleetwood’s journey and the Open’s final-day narrative.
Go deeper
- Can Fleetwood convert local support into a major triumph?
- Who will emerge as the final-round challenger to Burns?
- How will DeChambeau’s penalty impact the final standings?
More on these topics
-
Tommy Fleetwood - English professional golfer
Thomas Paul Fleetwood is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He has won five times on the tour.
-
Scottie Scheffler - American professional golfer
Scottie Scheffler is an American professional golfer, who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Scheffler was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey but moved to Dallas, Texas at a young age.
-
Bryson DeChambeau - American professional golfer
Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. In 2015, he became the fifth player in history to win both the NCAA Division I championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
-
Rory McIlroy - Professional golfer
Rory McIlroy MBE is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who is a member of both the European and PGA Tours. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, having spent over 100 weeks in that position during his career.
-
Jon Rahm - Spanish professional golfer
Jon Rahm Rodríguez is a Spanish professional golfer. He is the current world number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, having first achieved that rank after winning the Memorial Tournament in July 2020.
-
Tyrrell Hatton - British professional golfer
Tyrrell Glen Hatton (; born 14 October 1991) is an English professional golfer. He has played on the European Tour and the PGA Tour, winning eight times on the former, including five Rolex Series events. He also has one win on the PGA Tour at the 2020...
-
Jordan Spieth - American professional golfer
Jordan Alexander Spieth is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour and former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a three-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion. Spieth's first major win came in the 2015 Masters T
-
Xander Schauffele - American professional golfer
Alexander Victor Schauffele is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour.
-
Matthew Fitzpatrick - English professional golfer
Matthew Thomas Fitzpatrick is an English professional golfer. His biggest achievement as an amateur was winning the 2013 U.S. Amateur. His first professional win was in the 2015 British Masters.