Ryan Fox wins The Open for his first major, edging Cameron Young at Royal Birkdale
The 39-year-old New Zealander birdied the 72nd hole to close at ten under, becoming the first Kiwi to lift the Claret Jug since Bob Charles in 1963.
Ryan Fox is the champion golfer of the year. The 39-year-old New Zealander birdied the last hole at Royal Birkdale to win The 154th Open Championship by a single shot, closing at ten under par to deny Cameron Young and claim the first major title of his career.
It was the least likely of triumphs. Fox had never recorded a top-ten finish at a major, and he opened the week with a two-over 72 before a Friday 68 sneaked him inside the cut by a stroke. Then came the round that changed everything: an eight-under 62 on Saturday that equalled the lowest single round in men's major championship history and hauled him into contention.
Sunday was a scramble. Fox began two behind overnight leader Sam Burns and reached the 72nd tee tied with Young, who had earlier signed for nine under in the clubhouse after clawing back a seven-shot deficit. Fox split the fairway, hit his approach to around eleven feet and rolled in the putt to win outright rather than force a play-off. "Everything was shaking," he admitted. "I'm not quite sure how I hit it straight."
Burns, who led after 54 holes, again could not close, a level-par finish leaving him third for the second successive major in which he held the 54-hole lead. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood shared fourth, Fleetwood signing off with a birdie-birdie flourish, while Bryson DeChambeau unravelled with a triple bogey on the 11th and slid to a tie for 14th.
For New Zealand it was a landmark. Fox is the first Kiwi to lift the Claret Jug since Bob Charles in 1963, joining Charles and Michael Campbell as the only men from his country to win a major. The Open returns to St Andrews in 2027.
