Fleetwood Still Dreaming of Open Glory Despite Third-Round Setback

The dream of Tommy Fleetwood winning the Open Championship on home soil at Royal Birkdale remains alive, though his challenge was set back by a couple of late bogeys in his third-round 69. Fleetwood, who has harbored aspirations of lifting the Claret Jug since childhood, now trails American leader Sam Burns by five shots.

Burns fired a five-under 65 to establish a two-shot lead over New Zealand's Ryan Fox and South Korea's Kim Si-woo heading into the final round. The AI-generated image on the shuttle buses ferrying fans to the course, depicting Fleetwood with the trophy, reflects the vision he has held since he was a boy sneaking onto the iconic links.

American star Bryson DeChambeau is also firmly in the mix, sitting four shots behind Burns after a one-under 69. DeChambeau, the only player in the top 10 with major championship-winning experience, is among those who could benefit from a tightly contested leaderboard.

Despite the setback, Fleetwood, the 35-year-old Englishman, has not given up on his lifelong ambition. "I've done it most days since I was seven years old and it still hasn't stopped," he said. "That's what life's about, right? You daydream and you dream about the biggest things possible. Then you try and make it a reality."

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I've done it most days since I was seven years old and it still hasn't stopped. That's what life's about, right? You daydream and you dream about the biggest things possible. Then you try and make it a reality.