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Ryan Fox is the Champion Golfer of the Year — the Kiwi won The Open at Royal Birkdale on -10, one clear of Cameron Young, with Lucas Herbert the top Australian in T6. Full result, leaderboard and Aussie finishes.
⛳ Ryan Fox is the Champion Golfer of the Year — the Kiwi wins The Open at −10, one clear of Cameron Young.
A birdie on the 72nd hole sealed a maiden major and ended a 63-year wait for New Zealand.
Ryan Fox has done what no New Zealander has managed since Bob Charles in 1963, holing a birdie putt on the last at Royal Birkdale to win the 154th Open Championship. The 39-year-old closed with a 68 to finish on −10 (270), one shot clear of Cameron Young, with no playoff needed after Fox rolled in from roughly 12 feet on the 18th to snatch the Claret Jug outright. It caps a remarkable week on the Lancashire coast and finally delivers the maiden major so many had tipped for the big-hitting Kiwi.
For a full look back at how the market read the week, revisit our Open Championship 2026 tips & preview, and head to the golf betting hub for the latest markets, majors coverage and outright prices.
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How Ryan Fox won The Open
Fox saved his best for when it mattered, making four birdies over the closing six holes to storm up the leaderboard on a tense Sunday. He had already served notice with a stunning 62 in the third round, one of three 62s posted at Birkdale this week, but it was his composure down the stretch that defined the championship. Standing on the 18th tee needing a birdie to win outright, Fox flushed an approach to around 12 feet and calmly holed the putt to become the Champion Golfer of the Year.
The win makes Fox the first New Zealander to lift the Claret Jug since Bob Charles at Royal Lytham in 1963, a 63-year drought finally broken. At 39, and after years knocking on the door on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, this was a maiden major that felt both overdue and richly deserved. Fox banked US$3.2M from the US$17.75M purse for the victory.
Cameron Young’s near-miss and Sam Burns’ fade
Cameron Young produced the round of the day, a superb 64 (−6), to post −9 in the clubhouse and set the target. The American looked to have done enough to force a playoff, only to bogey the 72nd hole and finish one shot shy in solo second. It was a cruel way to fall short after such a flawless day, and it left the door ajar for Fox to walk through with his birdie on the last.
Overnight leader Sam Burns could not sustain the form that had carried him into Sunday in front. Burns had authored history at the halfway mark, his 62-65 = 127 standing as the lowest consecutive 36 holes in major championship history. But three early bogeys on Sunday derailed his charge and he faded to a solo third on −8, unable to answer the surge from those behind him.
The Australians at Royal Birkdale
There was plenty for Australian and New Zealand fans to savour beyond the winner. Lucas Herbert was the standout Aussie, finishing tied sixth on −6 (274) after a brilliant week that included his own 62 in the second round — one of the three record-equalling 62s posted at Birkdale. Adam Scott rolled back the years to finish tied ninth on −5, a classy showing from the veteran that underlined his enduring quality on links soil. Min Woo Lee made the cut and ground out a share of 59th at +2, while it was a weekend off for Jason Day and Cameron Smith, both of whom missed the cut. All told, a strong Open for the Australian and Kiwi contingent, headlined of course by Fox’s breakthrough triumph.
Records and the Scheffler chase
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler pushed hard on the final day, signing for a closing 67 to finish tied fourth on −7, but even the world’s best could not quite reel in the leaders. The story of the week, though, was the scoring. Three 62s — from Herbert in round two, Burns in round two and Fox in round three — each equalled the all-time major 18-hole record. Remarkably, four of the eight 62s ever shot in major championship history have now come at Royal Birkdale, cementing the venue’s reputation as a course that rewards bold, low scoring when conditions allow.