The Open: Ryan Fox pips Cameron Young and Sam Burns to maiden major after final-round thriller at Royal Birkdale
Ryan Fox became the first New Zealander since Bob Charles in 1963 to win The Open; Fox carded a final-round 68 to finish a shot ahead of Cameron Young after a dramatic final round at Royal Birkdale; Sam Burns third ahead of Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood
By Ali Stafford at Royal Birkdale
Last Updated: 19/07/26 9:28pm
Ryan Fox claimed a maiden major title after a final-hole birdie snatched a dramatic one-shot victory over Cameron Young at The 154th Open.
Fox charged into contention by equalling the lowest round in men's major history during a third-round 62, then came through a roller-coaster Sunday to edge ahead of a congested leaderboard.
The New Zealander began two strokes behind Sam Burns but reached the 72nd tied for the lead with Young, who overturned a seven-shot deficit on the final day to set the clubhouse target on nine under.
- The Open: Final leaderboard from Royal Birkdale
- Open recap: Final round as it happened!
- Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract
Young waited nearly two-and-a-half hours to see if his final-round 64 was enough for victory, only for Fox to fire his approach to 12 feet at the par-four 18th and convert the birdie to complete a remarkable victory.
Overnight leader Burns finished two strokes back in third after a final-round 72, with home favourite Tommy Fleetwood a further shot adrift in a share of fourth alongside world No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
How Fox completed dream major victory
Nine of the top 10 at the start of the day were chasing a maiden major title, but it was Young - beginning tied-20th - who charged into contention when he followed a front-nine 29 by birdieing both par-fives after the turn.
Young failed to get up and down to save par at the last but saw his clubhouse target of nine under remain the score to beat, having seen Burns lose his overnight lead when he followed a birdie at the second by carding three consecutive bogeys from the fourth.
Si Woo Kim - in the penultimate group - also got to 10 under and briefly topped the leaderboard after a front-nine 32, only for the Korean to bogey four of his last eight holes and stumble to a final-round 70.
Fox had made a positive start by holing from 15 feet to match Burns' birdie at the second but fell over-par for the day with bogeys at the ninth and 11th, then responded by posting back-to-back birdies from the 13th to join Young on nine under.
He failed to get up and down from the sand to save par at the 15th but converted from 10 feet to pull level again, with Scheffler one off the lead until he followed successive gains from the 16th by bogeying his final hole.
Fox failed to take advantage of the par-five 17th but made history at the last, with his closing birdie sparking wild celebrations on the final green and seeing him join Bob Charles and Michael Campbell as New Zealand's only male major champions.
Burns made pars on his last 13 holes to leave him failing to covert a 54-hole major lead for the second successive season, 13 months on from last month's US Open, with Fleetwood claiming tied-fourth after a birdie-birdie finish to his final-round 68.
Kim shared sixth spot with Casey Jarvis and Lucas Herbert, who equalled major history with a second-round 62 on Friday, while Bryson DeChambeau ended six behind in tied-14th and Rory McIlroy finished nine strokes back after a one-over 71.
Fox savours 'unbelievable' major win
"It's unbelievable, to be honest," Fox said. "I still don't know what to think. My nerves are all over the place. I'm not quite sure how I hit that putt on 18.
"It is a dream come true. Looking at this trophy now, it's the first time I've seen it up close, so this is a dream come true. I was really happy. I said to my caddie through six or eight holes: 'I feel a lot better than I thought I would now'."
On his putt on the 18th, Fox added: "Everything was shaking. I'm not quite sure how I hit it straight. As soon as I saw it tracking to the left edge, I thought: 'This has got a chance!'
"I was happy it was the right speed and I wasn't going to make anything coming back. I don't really know what I was thinking then. I couldn't believe it really. That putt is a lot easier to hit on a practice green than it is in real life."
Fox 'wasn't scared of losing'
Sky Sports' Dame Laura Davies: "He [Fox] stayed aggressive, I don't think he was scared of losing it. If he lost it because he hit a shot that just didn't work out he was prepared to stay aggressive and I firmly believe that's why he did it.
"He hit irons when he had to, but when there was a chance, a sniff of a birdie, the driver was out, full commitment. The way he played 18, I don't think you could have drawn that up any better. Two of the best shots he will ever hit in his life just to hit that green to give himself a chance."
Sky Sports' Andrew Coltart: "I've never seen somebody push through the tape as hard as that right at the end of the tournament to win a major championship.
"At a place like this, too. It was just superb. The 62 yesterday, I think, helped cement his belief in his ability out there. Another record-breaking score. While they all struggled with the pressure, Fox stood tall."
What's next?
The next PGA Tour event is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, beginning Thursday, with early coverage on Sky Sports+ before switching to Sky Sports Golf at 7pm.
The 3M Open is part of a triple-header of live golf on Sky Sports, with the ISPS Handa Senior Open and ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open also live. The women's major season then concludes with the AIG Women's Open from July 30-August 2, also live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.
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