On a sun-battered, tension-filled Sunday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, 39-year-old New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox etched his name into golf history, surviving a chaotic back-nine rollercoaster to sink a career-defining 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and claim his first-ever major championship at the British Open.
The final round was defined by shifting momentum, with five different golfers holding a share of the lead at various stages. American contender Cameron Young sat atop the leaderboard for nearly two full hours without hitting a single stroke, having carded a blistering 6-under 64 in his morning round more than 120 minutes before the final groups teed off the back nine.
Fox, the son of a former All Blacks rugby player, refused to let a late pair of bogeys derail his bid for the Claret Jug. He pulled even with Young at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on the par-4 16th, then delivered a stunning closing birdie on Royal Birkdale’s toughest finishing hole to secure victory. The win made him just the third golfer from New Zealand to claim a major men’s championship.
Finishing the round at 2-under par for a 68, Fox threw his powerful arms into the air in elation immediately after the ball dropped into the cup. Within moments, he was on a call with his family back home, telling them with a shaky, excited voice: “You asked me to bring a trophy home, and I am, aren’t I?” His name will now be added to the base of the iconic silver Claret Jug, joining New Zealand golf legend Bob Charles, who won the event at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1963.
For Young, the dramatic finish added another chapter of near-misses in major championship play. The American already finished one stroke shy of victory at the 2022 British Open at St Andrews, and he held a third-round lead at the Masters Tournament before Rory McIlroy overtook him on Sunday.
Fifth-ranked Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader entering the final round, saw his chances fade over the closing holes. Burns had only planned to compete in the 2025 Open after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first daughter earlier than expected, forcing him to rearrange his tournament schedule at the last minute. He held a two-shot lead heading into the back nine but failed to record a single birdie over his final 12 holes, ultimately finishing two strokes off Fox’s winning pace.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler stayed in contention through most of the day, but two costly bad bounces sapped his momentum. A late lucky break gave him an unlikely birdie to stay in the hunt, but he failed to convert a birdie opportunity on the 18th, closing with a 67 to tie for fourth. He shared that spot with local favorite Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport-born golfer who fell back early in the round but sent the thousands of fans lining Royal Birkdale’s dunes into a frenzy with back-to-back closing birdies for a 68.
In a surprising turn of events, fan-favorite contender Bryson DeChambeau was largely absent from the final-round drama. After losing his tee shot on the 11th hole, he carded a triple bogey that knocked him far down the leaderboard, and he did not record a birdie until he was well out of contention. A two-shot penalty assessed to him on Friday for improving his swing path never ended up impacting the final outcome, as he shot a 1-over 72 to tie for 14th place.
Sunday’s victory marks Fox’s 10th career win across global professional golf tours. Prior to this major triumph, his most prestigious title came at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. At 39 years old, Fox is the oldest golfer to win his first major championship since Henrik Stenson won the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon at age 40.