What a way to enhance a family dynasty. Ryan Fox, son of a New Zealand rugby legend and grandson of one of the country’s cricket captains, is the Open champion. Three generations, three sports, one Claret Jug. Fox displayed the fortitude of Grant, his old man, to snatch victory from Cameron Young on such a dramatic Open Championship Sunday.
Fox took to the 18th tee level with Young at nine under par. The American had finished more than two hours earlier, his total looking ever-more promising as others took it in turn to wilt under the heat of Royal Birkdale. Fox laughed in the face of adversity. He crashed a drive 330 yards down the fairway, flicked an iron to 11ft and holed out for a birdie three. This will trigger quite the party, including in his homeland. This Open needed something to switch the conversation from Bryson DeChambeau and a rules breach. In Fox, the tournament found a bold and deserving champion.
For Young, there will be pain. A par at the last would have earned him 10 under par and, as it was to transpire, a playoff. He found the bunker from the 18th tee. A six-iron, intended to reach the front of the green, rebounded from the top of the trap and into thick grass. Young, who is becoming a major nearly man, scrambled superbly for a bogey five. It was not enough, alas.
On a week dominated by sunburn and grass burn, some believed it was fate that Sam Burns would triumph. Instead, the 54-hole leader wobbled after reaching 11 under inside two holes. He regressed to minus eight at the turn, where he was to stay. It was Fox who was to deal best with golf’s version of scorched-earth syndrome.
At one point, it looked as if matters were conspiring against Fox. His tee shot to the perilous par-three 15th hit the bank of a bunker, from where it flew back to a position where the 39-year-old had no scope to even hit his ball forward. Fox escaped with a four. He had an opportunity to reach double digits under par on the penultimate hole yet missed. In the clubhouse, a pensive Young was edging ever closer to extra holes. He was denied that by a Fox attack.
Kim Si-woo had taken the lead when holing from off the green at the 6th. He remained in the equation until a poor closing stretch. Kim shared sixth with Casey Jarvis and Lucas Herbert.
Tommy Fleetwood, the hometown hero, could not end his major wait at Birkdale. Still, the moment of Sunday belonged to him. He kissed his hand, waved and touched his heart in front of adoring galleries after holing out for a 72nd-hole birdie. If there really are golfing gods, he will win an Open. His finish this time was a tie for fourth. Things had started so promisingly on Sunday for Fleetwood, who triggered roars that reverberated around the course with a birdie from 73ft on the 1st.
Scottie Scheffler should really have become the first man to win back-to-back Opens since Padraig Harrington here in 2008. The taking of 32 putts in round two fatally harmed the world No 1’s cause. Scheffler flew from the traps on Sunday, throwing darts towards flags and playing the first five holes in three under. He had slipped to six under on the 15th but roared back again; birdies at the 16th and 17th left him one from the lead while playing the last. Scheffler carved his tee shot right, missed the green and took three from there. A finish beside Fleetwood at minus seven was a real tale of missed opportunity. “I guess it just wasn’t my week,” Scheffler said. His consistency of results remains quite incredible.
Bob MacIntyre’s latest tantrum, this time slamming his driver into the ground, received a code of conduct warning from tournament officials. “I’m going to do it for the rest of my career,” the Scot said. “I try and toe the line, but when you feel you’re playing a golf course that you can hit it pretty much anywhere and there’s no real punishment and then you do hit one slightly off line and you get the biggest punishment you can possibly get, it’s just a sore one. I’m going to react aggressively at times. Part of my DNA.” Perhaps it shouldn’t be. Professional golfers set examples.
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DeChambeau was hovering on the leaderboard before a disastrous triple-bogey seven on the 11th. The record books will show a tie for 14th as his best major finish of 2026. The R&A quietly breathed a sigh of relief that he did not close only two from the lead, that being the penalty for his errant footwork on the 5th during Friday’s round.
The leaving of a bunker shot by the 18th green in sand rather summed up Rory McIlroy’s Open. The Masters champion signed off with a 71 for a one-under total. McIlroy will now take a holiday before returning to competitive action in the PGA Tour’s playoffs. He was asked rather mischievously whether he would welcome DeChambeau at the Irish Open this year, as has been rumoured as a possibility. The event takes place at Donald Trump’s Doonbeg resort. “I think that would be great for the tournament, absolutely,” McIlroy said. “Having someone like Bryson at the Irish Open, it would be great for the tournament.”
McIlroy’s scathing sentiment towards DeChambeau had been the theme of Saturday at the Open. Day four proved just as eye-catching. Inside the ropes, this time. Fox has just sampled a life-changing moment.
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