The 154th edition of The Open saw Ryan Fox add to one of New Zealand’s great sporting legacies. The son of All Black legend and one-time leading points scorer Grant Fox, Ryan is also the grandson of former New Zealand cricket captain and coach, Merv Wallace. Regularly referred to as the “son of legendary All Blacks fly-half”, the 39-year-old North Island native can now be called a golf major winner.
In 28 previous outings in majors, Fox had never cracked the top 10, while his most recent appearance in The Open saw him miss the cut in 2025. For the first two days at Royal Birkdale, it appeared that Fox was in for another underwhelming week, only for the likeable pro to catch fire on days 3 and 4, leading to a tournament-winning birdie on the final hole.
Slow Start
Starting the tournament as a 100/1 outsider, Fox’s odds were significantly longer than that at the end of his opening round. Birdies at the eighth and 11th provided high points, but were undone by bogeys at the second, sixth, 10th, and 12th. Finishing on a two-over 72, Fox ended the day in 85th place and seven shots adrift of first-round leader Jackson Suber.
Fox steadied the ship with a two-under round two, which included five birdies to move back to level par. However, that still left him eight shots behind Lucas Herbert, who shot to the head of the leaderboard with a sensational 62, equalling the lowest-ever round in a major. It was an improvement from Fox, but he still faced a monumental task – no man had ever overturned an eight-shot deficit at halfway to win a major.
Into the Mix with Record-Equalling Round
It’s been quite a journey for Ryan Fox. pic.twitter.com/Qtx0upf7lJ
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2026
Twenty-four hours after Herbert’s stellar 62, Fox responded with one of his own. He carded nine birdies in a near-flawless round, with the only blemish coming with a bogey at 13. From nowhere, Fox was now firmly in contention. Sam Burns had moved to the top of the leaderboard, following a 62 on Day 2 and a 65 on Day 3. Si Woo Kim was tied for second with Fox, with Lucas Herbert and Ryan Gerard a shot further back. Big hitters Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, and Scottie Scheffler were all close enough to strike ahead of a fascinating Sunday.
Birdie Wins It at 18
The lead changed hands repeatedly in a topsy-turvy closing round. Overnight leader Burns came unstuck with successive bogeys at four, five, and six, leaving Kim to hold the lead briefly. However, it was Cameron Young who set the benchmark for the others to aim at. Taking maximum advantage of the favourable playing conditions early in the day, Young headed to the eighteenth hole on -10. A bogey at the tricky last was disappointing but still saw Young take a one-shot lead into the clubhouse. That lead lasted for a little over two hours.
Following an uneventful front nine, Fox made the turn exactly where he started on eight under par. Overcoming a bogey at 11, he responded with birdies at 13 and 14 before dropping another shot at 15. One down with three to play, the quick-playing New Zealander drew level at 16 before missing a relatively straightforward birdie putt at 17.
Needing only a par to force a play-off, it would have been easy to forgive Fox had he taken the conservative route at the par 4 eighteenth. Instead, he smacked a 330-yard tee shot into the middle of the fairway, before lasering a brilliant iron approach to within 11 feet of the pin. The putt was tougher than the one at 17, but this time Fox made no mistake, picking the right line and celebrating wildly as the ball dropped over the left edge.
Young’s anxious wait resulted in a second-place finish, with Sam Burns rallying to take third on -8. Tommy Fleetwood’s quest to become the first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1992 came unstuck with bogeys at nine, 10, and 11, but he held on to finish in a tie for fourth with world number one Scottie Scheffler.
First Kiwi Winner Since 1963
Reflecting on lifting the Claret Jug and claiming the £2.4 million winner’s cheque, Fox stated,
You dream of this moment. I don’t know whether I ever thought it was going to become a reality. Now it is, and to have my name etched in the history of the game is pretty awesome. I think it’s pretty awesome for New Zealand as well. It’s going to be big down there.
Fox becomes the first New Zealander to win The Open since Bob Charles claimed the 1963 edition. He is also only the third Kiwi to win any of the four men’s majors, following in the footsteps of Charles and 2025 US Open winner Michael Campbell.