British Open: Ryan Fox leads; Fleetwood rose, Theegala through

Ryan Fox of New Zealand plays a shot from the 11th fairway during day three of the British Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo) Southport (UK) : Ryan Fox, just one stroke inside the cut line after two rounds, moved into the clubhouse lead after shooting a record 62 in the third round of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.Fox was among those who finished early on the move as the leaderboard began to resemble a game of snakes and ladders, with positions changing dramatically every few minutes. Southport local Tommy Fleetwood, seeking his first Major, was bogey-free and three under through 11 holes to move to seven under and a share of second place with Sam Burns and Jackson Suber, one behind Fox.Fox’s 62 came less than a day after Lucas Herbert and Burns drove past Birkdale with matching records of 62 on a dry, baked course that nevertheless produced a string of low scores. Fox’s 8-under round was comfortably the best of the day, but a flurry of scores between 66 and 68 ensured this tournament was wide open.Amidst all this, Sahith Theegala was the only one of the three players of Indian origin in the field to survive the 36-hole cut. After making his Open debut at St Andrews in 2022, Theegala failed to make the cut in each of the following three editions. But he broke it off this week to secure a weekend berth before carding a two-under 68 in the third round.