New Zealand's Ryan Fox won the 154th Open Championship on Sunday, July 19, closing with a four-under 68 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club to finish at 10-under 270, one shot clear of American Cameron Young.
Fox, 39, becomes the first New Zealander to win the Claret Jug since Bob Charles in 1963 and the first golfer from his country to claim any major championship since. The victory came at the end of a scoring-heavy week at Birkdale, on England's northwest coast, where Fox himself shot a course-record-tying 62 on Saturday, a day after Americans Sam Burns and Lucas Herbert had posted matching rounds of 62.
Overnight leader Burns took a two-shot advantage into the final round but stumbled with three consecutive bogeys around the turn, opening the door for Fox and Young. The tournament came down to the 72nd hole, where Fox, tied with Young at nine-under, drove into the fairway and hit a 9-iron approach from 160 meters to inside 12 feet before holing the birdie putt to seal the win. Burns finished two shots back in solo third after a closing 72.
World number one Scottie Scheffler finished tied for fourth at seven-under alongside England's Tommy Fleetwood, with Scheffler's putter letting him down late as he bogeyed three of his last six holes. Fleetwood, who has yet to win a major, remains among the sport's most prominent players still searching for that breakthrough.
Fox's win comes late in a career mostly built on European Tour and PGA Tour victories without a major to his name, making him one of the older first-time major champions in recent Open history. He collected $3.2 million from the tournament's $17.75 million purse.
The result adds Fox's name to the conversation ahead of golf's next major, with players and fans now turning attention to the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff push and the build-up to the season's remaining marquee events.
