The Open 2026 Review: Ryan Fox Produces a Fantastic Finish at Royal Birkdale

The 154th Open Championship gave us record-breaking scores, hometown hope, major heartbreak and a final-hole finish worthy of the Claret Jug.

After four memorable days at Royal Birkdale, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox emerged as the Champion Golfer of the Year. He finished at ten under par, one shot ahead of Cameron Young, after holding his nerve to make a winning birdie on one of the most demanding finishing holes in championship golf.

It was links golf drama at its very best.

From the cut line to the Claret Jug

Fox’s position looked far from promising after opening rounds of 72 and 68 left him level par and tied for 52nd place. He had made the weekend, but few would have selected him as the likely champion.

Everything changed on Saturday.

The powerful New Zealander produced nine birdies in a remarkable round of 62, equalling the record for the lowest score in a men’s major championship. That moved him from the edge of the cut line into the final group and straight into contention for his first major title.

It was one of three record-equalling rounds of 62 during an extraordinary week. 
Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns had both reached the same number on Friday before Fox joined the club on Moving Day. Royal Birkdale is usually known for handing out bogeys rather than records, but the calmer morning conditions presented opportunities and the players took full advantage.

Cameron Young launches an incredible Sunday charge

Cameron Young began the final round seven shots behind the lead and apparently too far back to challenge. Nobody had explained that to Cameron Young.

The American flew out of the blocks with birdies on each of his opening three holes. He added another at the fifth and reached the turn in just 29 shots.

Young eventually moved to ten under and looked capable of setting a clubhouse target that nobody would catch. Unfortunately, Royal Birkdale’s 18th had one final ambush waiting.

His drive found a fairway bunker, his recovery clipped the lip and his next shot landed in another bunker beside the green. A brave attempt to rescue par narrowly missed, leaving him with a closing bogey and a superb round of 64.

Young signed for nine under and then faced the most uncomfortable job in golf: waiting in the clubhouse while someone else tried to take the Claret Jug away from him.

The local favourite brings Birkdale to life

Few players received louder support than Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up only a few miles from Royal Birkdale.

The Englishman began Sunday five shots behind but quickly gave the enormous home crowd something to believe in. Birdies at the first and fifth were followed by another at the eighth, moving Fleetwood to eight under and within one shot of the lead.

For a few wonderful minutes, Southport dared to dream.

The course responded as great links courses tend to do. A gust caught Fleetwood’s approach to the ninth, while wayward tee shots at the next two holes resulted in further dropped shots. His challenge faded, but he finished with a birdie on the 18th and received the reception his performance deserved.

Fleetwood’s closing 68 secured a tie for fourth at seven under alongside Scottie Scheffler. More than 306,000 spectators attended the championship, a record for an Open held outside St Andrews, and Fleetwood gave many of them their most emotional moments of the week.

Burns runs out of steam

Sam Burns entered Sunday with a two-shot lead after following his sensational second-round 62 with a 65 on Saturday. That 62–65 combination was the lowest score across consecutive rounds in men’s major history.

Unfortunately, the final round proved much tougher.

Three early bogeys halted his momentum, and a closing 72 left him at eight under. It was enough for third place, but not the first major championship he had been chasing.

Si Woo Kim also briefly led during the final round before three back-nine bogeys dropped him into a tie for sixth. The leaderboard seemed to change every few minutes, with Burns, Kim, Fleetwood, Scheffler, Young and Fox all appearing capable of winning at different stages.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy never found the form needed to join the Sunday battle. Rounds of 72, 67, 69 and 71 left him tied for 40th at one under par. Bryson DeChambeau finished tied for 14th at four under after an eventful week that included a controversial two-shot penalty.

Fox finds another gear

Fox was one over for his final round as he walked towards the 12th tee. His momentum had stalled, Young was charging and several leading names were gathering around the top of the leaderboard.

Then the championship changed.

Fox birdied the 13th and 14th before responding to a bogey at the 15th with another birdie at 16. He could not take advantage of the par-five 17th, meaning he stood on the final tee tied with Young at nine under.

A par would force a play-off. A bogey could lose the championship. Only a birdie would win it outright.

No pressure, then.

Three shots to win The Open

The 18th was Royal Birkdale’s toughest hole during the championship and had yielded only four birdies on Sunday.

Fox committed fully to the challenge. He drove down the middle of the fairway, struck an excellent nine-iron approach to around 12 feet and faced the putt every golfer imagines while practising: this one to win The Open.

He struck it firmly.

The ball rolled into the centre of the hole, Fox punched the air and the celebrations began. His closing 68 completed a 72-hole total of 270, ten under par and one ahead of Young. 

Fox became only the second New Zealander to win The Open, following Sir Bob Charles in 1963. At 39, he also proved that major breakthroughs do not need to arrive early. Remarkably, this was not simply his first major victory, it was his first top-ten finish in any major.

He had gone from tied 52nd after two rounds to lifting the Claret Jug, the largest 36-hole comeback by leaderboard position in men’s major history.

What The Open taught us

Royal Birkdale reminded us that links golf rarely follows a tidy script.

A player can begin Sunday seven shots behind and shoot 64. A two-shot leader can lose momentum within a handful of holes. A hometown favourite can turn an entire golf course into a wall of noise. And a player sitting 52nd on Friday evening can become Champion Golfer of the Year by Sunday.

It also showed why commitment matters under pressure. Fox reached the 18th knowing that safety might earn him a play-off, but he chose to attack. Three committed shots later, his name was on the Claret Jug.

That is The Open: unpredictable, unforgiving and completely irresistible.

Congratulations to Ryan Fox, the 2026 Champion Golfer of the Year.

Next stop for golf’s original championship? St Andrews in 2027, and we cannot wait to welcome The Open back to the Home of Golf.

What was your favourite moment from Royal Birkdale? Was it Fox’s winning putt, Young’s final-round charge or Fleetwood’s hometown challenge? Let us know on the 2Under Golf social channels.