Ryan Fox celebrates his win
Ryan Fox delivered a finish worthy of its rich history, securing the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale with a dramatic birdie on the final hole.
The New Zealander holed a nerve-jangling 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to secure a one-shot victory over Cameron Young and claim the title of Champion Golfer of the Year. Overcome with emotion, Fox punched the air before wiping away tears after sinking the winning putt.
Heading to the 18th tee, tied with Young at nine-under-par, Fox faced the course’s toughest hole, which had been the most difficult throughout the week. While Young waited on the practice range, expecting at least a playoff, Fox produced two clutch shots – a booming drive down the middle followed by an approach to 12 feet – to give himself the chance to win outright.
He made no mistake.
“It’s unbelievable, to be honest,” he said.
He added, “My nerves were all over the place, I’m not sure how I hit that putt on 18. It’s a dream come true. It’s the first time I’ve seen this trophy up close; it’s pretty amazing.”
The victory marked Fox’s first major championship and his first top-10 finish in a major. It completed an extraordinary turnaround after opening rounds of 72 and 68 left him hovering just inside the cut line at level par.
Everything changed on Saturday when Fox fired a stunning 62, tying the lowest round ever recorded in a major championship and vaulting into contention.
Overnight leader Sam Burns entered the final round with a two-shot lead, while Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Si Woo Kim and Cameron Young all mounted serious challenges.
Fox appeared to be fading after reaching the 12th tee, one over for the day, but a birdie at the 13th reignited his charge. Another birdie followed at the par-five 14th, before a bogey on 15 briefly halted his momentum. He responded with a superb birdie on the 16th to regain a share of the lead, then set up his unforgettable finish on the last.
His triumph also completed the largest 36-hole comeback by position in men’s major championship history, climbing from tied for 52nd after two rounds to champion.
Cameron Young produced one of the day’s finest rounds but was denied a maiden major title in heartbreaking fashion.
Starting well ahead of the leaders, Young raced through the front nine, birdieing the opening three holes before adding further gains at the fifth and ninth to reach the turn in just 29 strokes.
Ryan Fox of New Zealand
Birdies on the par-five 14th and 17th lifted him to 10-under-par and into the clubhouse lead after a superb 64.
However, trouble struck on the closing hole. His tee shot found a fairway bunker, and his recovery clipped the lip before finishing in the rough. Another visit to the greenside bunker left him needing an unlikely up-and-down for par. His chip narrowly missed, resulting in a closing bogey that left him at nine-under.
Young then endured a tense wait, only to see Fox snatch victory with a remarkable birdie on the final green. It was another runner-up finish at The Open for the American, following his second-place finish behind Cameron Smith in 2022.
Sam Burns, who led after 54 holes with rounds of 62 and 65, was unable to maintain his advantage. A closing 72 left him third at eight-under-par.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler once again featured prominently despite struggling on the greens throughout the week. Birdies on the front nine briefly put him in contention, but costly bogeys on the 13th and 15th stalled his charge. He rallied with birdies on the 16th and 17th, but another bogey on the last left him tied for fourth.
Si Woo Kim also enjoyed time at the top of the leaderboard before three back-nine bogeys dropped him into a share of sixth place with Casey Jarvis and Lucas Herbert.
Local favourite Tommy Fleetwood thrilled the record crowd of more than 306,000 spectators with an early charge.
Starting five shots behind, Fleetwood birdied the first, fifth and eighth holes to move within one shot of the lead, fuelling hopes of a dream victory just miles from where he grew up.
Royal Birkdale, however, proved unforgiving. A bogey on the ninth, following an errant approach, was followed by dropped shots on the 10th and 11th, ending his title hopes.
Fleetwood finished strongly, closing with two birdies to share fourth place.
“The eighth was pretty emotional,” he said.
“It was just very, very special. There’s only one person that gets to win it, and my dream of winning The Open will carry on and I’ll continue to chase it.”
