New Zealand’s Ryan Fox captured his first major title in dramatic fashion at the 154th Open Championship, battling through a congested leaderboard to emerge victorious.
A third-round 62 put the 39-year-old in contention heading into the final round at Royal Birkdale, just two shots behind overnight leader Sam Burns. However, despite a birdie at the 2nd, Fox appeared to be fading after bogeys at the 9th and 11th as the lead changed hands repeatedly, with England’s Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Scottie Scheffler both making early charges.
Meanwhile, America’s Cameron Young, also chasing a maiden major title, bounced back from a third-round 73 in spectacular fashion. He birdied five of his opening nine holes before adding two more on the back nine, only dropping a shot at the last to card a brilliant 6-under 64 and set the clubhouse target at 9 under. The advantage seemed to be in hid favor, but Fox never lost hope, finding his rhythm on the back nine. Back-to-back birdies at the 13th and 14th reignited his challenge, and after a bogey at the 15th, he responded immediately with another birdie at the 16th to draw level with Young. Fox then produced the defining moment of his round, draining a 12-foot birdie putt on the notoriously difficult 18th to seal a one-shot victory at 10 under 270, claim his first major title, and become just the third New Zealander to claim one.
“To play that last hole how I did, I stood on the tee and said to my caddie Dean (Smith), we’re going to try to win this,” said Fox afterwards.
“I hit two perfect shots. I’m not sure how I hit the putt. My hands were all over the place. I was just trying to get it towards the hole somewhere. It’s surreal that it went in.
“Champion Golfer of the Year has got a pretty good ring to it,” he went on. “It is a dream come true.
“You do dream of this moment. I don’t know whether I ever thought it was going to become a reality. Now it is, and to have my name etched in the history of the game is pretty awesome. I think it’s pretty awesome for New Zealand as well. It’s going to be big down there.”
Victory made Fox the first New Zealander to lift the Claret Jug since Bob Charles in 1963. At 39, he also became the oldest first-time major champion since 40-year-old Henrik Stenson won The Open at Royal Troon in 2016.
Overnight leader Sam Burns finished a shot behind Young in third at 8 under, while Scheffler rebounded from last week’s missed cut to share fourth with local favorite Fleetwood at 7 under.
What is the next Major?
The next major will be the first of the 2027 men’s calendar which is the Masters Tournament taking place between 8-11 April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA