Ryan Fox seized his moment on Royal Birkdale’s brutal closing stretch, rolling in a last-hole birdie to win The 154th Open by a single shot and secure his maiden major title. The 39-year-old New Zealander kept his composure when chaos reigned elsewhere, outlasting a cast of heavy hitters as the final men’s major of the year reached a breathless crescendo on the Lancashire coast.
On a day when Birkdale finally bared its teeth after two rounds of back-to-back, record-equalling 62s, Fox was among only three players from the last dozen groups to break par. He needed something special at the last — commonly the course’s most demanding hole — to overhaul clubhouse leader Cameron Young, who had posted nine under with the round of the day, a polished 64. Fox delivered, sending his approach inside 12 feet and converting the putt that separated him from the field at the death.
Burns fades, challengers stall
Overnight leader Sam Burns burst from the traps and briefly reached 11 under within three holes, but his charge stalled and three dropped shots dragged him back. Si Woo Kim, likewise, surrendered four strokes after moving to 10 under, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler and home favourite Tommy Fleetwood both mounted threats before finishing three behind. The leaderboard seesawed all afternoon as gusts, nerves and Birkdale’s uncompromising angles began to punish even the slightest miscalculation.
Young, so often the PGA Tour’s nearly man, set the standard from well ahead with a faultless surge to the house — a number that looked, for long stretches, as though it might stand. But when it mattered most, Fox’s tempo held. A crisp tee shot, a bold second and a calm putt on the 18th settled the championship in ruthless, clinical fashion.
Steel at the last
The finishing hole at Birkdale has a reputation for deciding majors rather than simply ending them. It did so again. Fox, playing in the cauldron of the final group, stepped up needing a birdie and produced a closing sequence worthy of the Claret Jug. There was nothing streaky about it — just sound strategy, crisp ball-striking and a stroke that never wavered under the heaviest of pressure.
For Burns, it was a case of what might have been. The American looked every inch the champion in the opening stretch, but Birkdale squeezes the trigger without warning. The same vice caught Kim, whose early momentum turned sharply as the course tightened its grip. Scheffler and Fleetwood both had the galleries rumbling during their mid-round surges, yet the cushion Young had posted — and Fox ultimately eclipsed — proved unyielding.
The shape of a wild Sunday
- Winner: Ryan Fox, with a closing birdie on the 18th to take victory by one.
- Runner-up: Cameron Young, clubhouse leader at nine under after a 64.
- Contenders: Sam Burns led overnight and reached 11 under early; Si Woo Kim slipped after touching 10 under; Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood finished three adrift.
| Position | Player | Notable detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Fox | Birdied Birkdale’s 18th to win by one |
| 2 | Cameron Young | Clubhouse leader at -9 after best-of-day 64 |
| 3 | Sam Burns | Overnight leader; early surge to -11 before stumbles |
| — | Scottie Scheffler | Defending champion; finished three back |
| — | Tommy Fleetwood | Home favourite; finished three back |
Royal Birkdale bites back
The contrast across the championship could not have been starker. After two days lit by low scoring — including those twin 62s that matched major-championship benchmarks — the weekend played to a different rhythm entirely. Firming surfaces, opportunistic breezes and the course’s natural severity conspired to turn Sunday into a survival test. Amid that, Fox’s ability to post something under par from the sharp end of the draw was the separator.
Royal Birkdale, in Southport, Merseyside, once again proved a fair but exacting referee. Miss on the wrong side and the penalties compound; dare on the right line and you can make your move. On Sunday, very few dared successfully. Fox did, and he leaves carrying the Claret Jug as proof.
A major signed off in style
The Open was the last of the men’s majors in a compressed run of four in as many months, featuring a field of 156. By the close, it distilled to a veteran breakthrough, a familiar runner-up pressing hard and a host of world-class chasers straining to catch them. The margins were tiny, the theatre vast. In the end, one calm swing into the 18th and a nerveless putt defined the week.
