The 2026 Open Championship moves into its final round on Sunday at Royal Birkdale with Sam Burns holding a two-shot advantage. Burns is set to play in the last group of the day, putting him in the spotlight as the season’s final major heads toward its finish.
Round 4 tee times and pairings carry extra weight because the leaderboard remains far from settled. Based on the scoring seen at Royal Birkdale throughout the week, the final day appears open to movement, and a modest lead may not be enough to control the outcome from start to finish.
That uncertainty gives added importance to the full Sunday schedule, from the early groups trying to post a number to the closing pairings chasing the Claret Jug. With conditions and scoring trends already showing that players can make a run, every grouping has the potential to influence how the final round unfolds.
As attention turns to the complete Round 4 lineup, Burns enters Sunday with the edge, but not much margin for error. The final round at Royal Birkdale is set up as a tense and potentially unpredictable finish, with the leader, the pairings, and the tee times all shaping one of the biggest days in golf.
