The First New Zealander to Lift the Claret Jug Since Bob Charles in 1963.
Ryan Fox won the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, birdieing four of his last six holes to finish at ten under par and edge Cameron Young by a single stroke. It is Fox’s first major title at thirty-nine, and it makes him only the third New Zealander in history to win the Claret Jug — the first since Bob Charles in 1963. Sam Burns, who had led since Friday, closed with a two-over 72 to finish third. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth.
A Brutal Cut Set the Tone
Royal Birkdale’s firm fairways and pot bunkers made their intentions clear early. The cut line settled at one-over 141, and it caught two of the season’s form players. Matt Fitzpatrick, in contention for PGA TOUR Player of the Year, opened 72-72 and missed his first major cut since the 2024 PGA Championship. Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champion, ballooned to seven-over after eight holes of his second round before a late eagle-birdie-birdie surge softened the damage — not enough to survive the weekend. Royal Birkdale does not care about reputation. It only cares about ball-striking.
Burns and Fox Rewrote the Record Books
The weekend belonged to two players moving in opposite directions on the leaderboard. Sam Burns’s (pictured above) back-to-back 62-65 set a new record for the lowest 36-hole score in major championship history and put him two clear heading into Sunday. Ryan Fox matched that third-round 62 himself, closing the gap and setting up a final round that neither man’s card could have predicted. Lucas Herbert added his own piece of history along the way, matching a nine-hole scoring record during the tournament — a reminder of just how scoreable Birkdale played once the wind finally eased.
The Birdie That Won It
Fox’s final round was quiet until it wasn’t. Four birdies across his last six holes turned a share of the lead into a genuine chance, and on the 72nd hole he had a decision to make: play safe for a likely play-off, or go after the pin. He told his caddie they were going to “take it on.” An eleven-foot putt found the middle of the cup. Cameron Young, playing in the group ahead, closed with a bogey that left him a stroke short. Fox called the two shots into the final green “probably the two best of my life” — a fair claim, given what they were worth.
A Long Wait, Finally Over
Fox has spent the better part of a decade as one of the most respected ball-strikers on either the DP World Tour or the PGA TOUR without a major to his name, including a runner-up finish at the 2024 U.S. Open that left him agonisingly short. The Claret Jug carries a winner’s share reported at $3.2 million from a $17.5 million purse, but for a player who has built his career on consistency rather than headlines, the number matters less than the name now attached to the trophy. New Zealand golf has waited sixty-three years for a moment like this. Fox delivered it in front of a crowd that had adopted him as their own by Sunday afternoon.
Where the Season Goes From Here
Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood’s tie for fourth keeps both inside the conversation as the majors season winds down. Fleetwood, still chasing a maiden major of his own, will point to Birkdale as further evidence that the breakthrough is close rather than distant. Scheffler, already the game’s dominant figure, adds another top finish to a résumé that hardly needs one. Sam Burns leaves Birkdale with a share of record-book history even without the trophy, and a 54-hole lead he will want back sooner rather than later.
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For golfers inspired to test their own ball-striking against the same firm-and-fast conditions that decided this Open, the Algarve’s coastline offers a similar examination without the risk of a rain delay. Palmares, set along the cliffs above Meia Praia beach, plays as firm and demanding as anything Royal Birkdale served up this week.
Browse our Algarve golf holidays and see what the fairways have in store.
