Fox claims first major title at 154th Open Championship
Ryan Fox finishes one stroke ahead of Cameron Young in a tournament defined by late-round collapses and a decisive birdie under pressure.
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has secured his first major championship title, winning the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by a single stroke. Fox finished the tournament at 10-under par (270), defeating American Cameron Young, who finished second at 9-under par. The victory was decided on the 72nd hole, where Fox birdied the difficult 18th to avoid a playoff with Young, who bogeyed the same hole.
Fox entered the final round as a significant longshot at odds of 170-1, according to DraftKings. He shot a 2-under 68 on Sunday, matching his lowest major round score of 62 set on Friday. The win makes Fox the third male golfer from New Zealand to win a major, joining Bob Charles, who won the 1963 Open Championship, and Michael Campbell, who won the 2005 U.S. Open.
The conclusion of the tournament hinged on the final hole, where Fox needed a birdie to avoid a playoff with clubhouse leader Cameron Young. Fox hit an approach shot from 175 yards that stopped 11½ feet from the cup. After his playing partner Sam Burns putted out for par, Fox drained the birdie putt to claim the Claret Jug. Fox had previously missed a 10-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 17th, which would have placed him in front before the finishing hole.
Cameron Young, also seeking his first major title, shot a 6-under 64 in the final round but saw his hopes end on the 18th. His drive landed in a deep fairway bunker, and subsequent shots struggled against the wind. Young’s third shot rolled back into a greenside bunker, resulting in a bogey that dropped him to 9-under par. Young had caught then-leader Si Woo Kim at 10-under with his seventh birdie of the round on the 17th, but the final hole proved decisive.
Sam Burns, who started the final round with a two-stroke lead, collapsed with three consecutive bogeys on the front nine. Burns finished third at 8-under par after leaving a 32½-foot birdie putt short on the 17th. Si Woo Kim and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth at 7-under par. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler also finished tied for fourth at 7-under after a bogey on the 18th. Bryson DeChambeau, previously involved in a controversy regarding a two-stroke penalty, finished outside the top contention after a triple-bogey on the 11th hole.
