Twenty-two seconds. That was all Ryan Fox needed after Sam Burns missed the birdie putt that might have extended The Open. Reuters timed the sequence from Burns’ miss to Fox’s winning stroke. The 39-year-old New Zealander stepped forward, studied the line and rolled the ball into the center of the cup.
Royal Birkdale erupted. Cameron Young, waiting on the practice range at nine under, no longer needed to prepare for a playoff.
Fox had reached the 18th tied for the lead after making four birdies across his final six holes. The closing hole had punished players throughout Sunday, but he attacked it. A towering drive split the fairway. His crisp nine-iron settled 12 feet below the cup.
One clean stroke later, Fox had a final-round 68, a 10-under total of 270 and a one-shot victory. His long climb into elite golf had ended with the quickest finish of the week.
Saturday Changed the Shape of the Open
Fox entered the weekend in 52nd place at even par. He had never finished inside the top 10 at a major, and nothing about his opening 36 holes suggested Royal Birkdale was about to change his career.
Saturday brought a different player.
Fox tore through the front nine in 29 and signed for a 62 after making nine birdies against one bogey. The round matched the lowest score in men’s major championship history. Branden Grace first established that mark at Royal Birkdale during the 2017 Open. Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry later joined the club.
A chance to shoot 61 remained when Fox reached the final tee, but his drive found a fairway bunker. He produced a sharp recovery from the sand, then watched the long birdie attempt slide past.
The missed putt hardly dulled the round. Fox walked away at eight under and earned a place in Sunday’s final pairing with 54-hole leader Burns. Within a few hours, he had climbed from the middle of the field into the center of the championship.
A Fast Routine Built Through a Slow Rise
His route to the final pairing looked nothing like the standard path of a modern major contender. Fox joined the DP World Tour as a 30-year-old rookie. He reached the PGA Tour at 37 and became a major champion at 39.
Success arrived late, then quickly. His first two PGA Tour victories came in 2025. Before Royal Birkdale, the BMW PGA Championship he won at Wentworth in 2023 remained the biggest title of his European career.
Sport had always come naturally. Fox played cricket and tennis while growing up, leaning on quick reactions and power rather than long calculation. His father, Grant Fox, helped New Zealand win the 1987 Rugby World Cup. His grandfather, Merv Wallace, captained the national cricket team.
Ryan forged his own path on the golf course. The same instincts he trusted in other sports became the foundation of his unusually quick routine.
“The less time I have to think about it, the less bad stuff can creep in there,” Fox told reporters.
That pace is not a performance. Fox sees the shot, chooses his line and swings. Slowing the process would invite doubt into a game already filled with it. On the final green of The Open, he trusted the routine that had carried him through every level of his career.
Sunday Nearly Turned at the 15th
Burns began the final round with a two-shot advantage, but the leaderboard tightened quickly. Cameron Young charged through the field with a 64. Si Woo Kim moved into contention, while Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood stayed close enough to apply pressure.
Young eventually reached the clubhouse at nine under. More than two hours passed as he waited to learn whether the score would survive.
Fox initially struggled to find his Saturday rhythm. The Open’s official account noted that he reached the 12th tee at one over for the round and seven under overall. He remained only two shots behind, but the championship was beginning to move away from him.
A 12-foot birdie at the 13th changed the temperature. Another at the par-5 14th pulled him level with Young. Then Royal Birkdale pushed back.
His tee shot at the par-3 15th struck the bank of a bunker and rolled into a position beside the lip. Fox could not play toward the flag. The Guardian’s account from Royal Birkdale detailed how he accepted the trouble, played away from the hole and escaped with a bogey four.
That save mattered. A double bogey would have forced him to chase. The four kept the Claret Jug within reach.
Fox answered at the 16th. A precise approach from the left rough left him 10 feet, and he converted the birdie to regain a share of the lead. The par-5 17th then brought frustration when another birdie chance slipped away.
He walked to the final tee level with Young at nine under. Par meant a playoff. Birdie meant the Claret Jug.
The Final Hole Rewarded Commitment
Royal Birkdale’s 18th finished the championship at 161 over par, making it the toughest hole on the course. Only four birdies had been recorded there all Sunday before Fox arrived.
With the title on the line, caution offered little value.
Fox sent his drive 330 yards down the center of the fairway. The Guardian measured the approach inside 12 feet, while Reuters identified the club as a nine-iron. The ball landed safely, released across the firm green and settled below the hole.
Burns played first and missed his birdie attempt. Fox did not step away or allow the moment to grow. His hands were shaking so badly that he later said he could barely feel the putter, but his routine never changed.
He struck the putt firmly. It held its line and disappeared into the heart of the cup.
The roar reached Young on the practice range. Fox punched the air, wiped tears from his face and embraced his caddie. A 63-year wait for another New Zealand man to win The Open had ended.
Fox took the long road to Royal Birkdale. Once victory stood 12 feet away, he did not hesitate.
READ ALSO: Si Woo Kim Takes Open Lead As Sam Burns Unravels At Birkdale
FAQs
Who won The Open at Royal Birkdale in 2026?
Ryan Fox won at 10 under, finishing one shot ahead of Cameron Young after birdieing the final hole.
How did Ryan Fox win The Open?
Fox drove into the fairway, hit his approach to 12 feet and made the birdie putt required to avoid a playoff.
How quickly did Ryan Fox hit the winning putt?
Fox took only 22 seconds to prepare and strike the winning putt after Sam Burns missed.
What did Ryan Fox shoot in the third round?
Fox shot a record-tying 62. The round moved him from 52nd place into Sunday’s final pairing.
Was this Ryan Fox’s first major championship?
Yes. The victory gave the 39-year-old his first major title and his first top-10 finish in a major.
Tracking stats and settling debates. If there is a scoreboard, I am watching it.
