Ryan Fox captured his first major championship in epic fashion Sunday, birdieing the difficult 18th at Royal Birkdale to claim the Open Championship by one shot over Cameron Young.
Young started the fourth round seven shots off Sam Burns’ lead but blitzed the course early with a 6-under 64 to post 9-under for the championship. He then watched from the clubhouse for over two hours as the contenders faltered one by one, leaving just Fox as his only threat.
However, Fox made a clutch birdie on No. 16 to match Young at the top of the leaderboard and then stuffed his approach on the last hole to 11 feet to set up the winning putt. It was just the fourth birdie all day on the challenging closer at Birkdale.
Ryan Fox. Nerves of steel.
That is how you win The 154th Open. pic.twitter.com/M6YxCYEuXA
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2026
Fox also posted the largest 36-hole comeback in a major championship after he entered the third round sitting tied for 52nd, according to Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group.
| Position | Player | Total to par | Round 4 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Fox | -10 | 68 |
| 2 | Cameron Young | -9 | 64 |
| 3 | Sam Burns | -8 | 72 |
| T-4 | Scottie Scheffler | -7 | 67 |
| T-4 | Tommy Fleetwood | -7 | 68 |
| T-6 | Si Woo Kim | -6 | 72 |
| T-6 | Casey Jarvis | -6 | 66 |
| T-6 | Lucas Herbert | -6 | 71 |
His record-setting performance Saturday pushed him into a group alongside Burns on Sunday, and his electric finish of four birdies in the final six holes ultimately won him the Claret Jug.
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Source: Sports Golf – The Score
