Ryan Fox, the son of a New Zealand rugby legend and grandson of a cricket captain, is the 2026 Open champion. He displayed the fortitude of his father, Grant, to snatch victory from Cameron Young on a dramatic Sunday at Royal Birkdale.
Fox's Winning Moment
Fox took to the 18th tee level with Young at nine under par. The American had finished more than two hours earlier, his total looking ever more promising as others wilted under the heat. Fox crashed a drive 330 yards down the fairway, flicked an iron to 11 feet, and holed out for a birdie three. This will trigger quite the party, including in his homeland.
Young's Heartbreak
For Young, there is pain. A par at the last would have earned him 10 under par and a playoff. He found the bunker from the 18th tee; a six-iron intended to reach the front of the green rebounded from the top of the trap into thick grass. Young scrambled superbly for a bogey five, but it was not enough. He is becoming a major nearly man.
Burns' Wobble
Sam Burns, the 54-hole leader, wobbled after reaching 11 under inside two holes. He regressed to minus eight at the turn and stayed there. Fox dealt best with golf's version of scorched-earth syndrome.
Fox's Resilience
At one point, matters conspired against Fox. His tee shot to the par-three 15th hit the bank of a bunker and flew back to a position where he had no scope to hit his ball forward. Fox escaped with a four. He missed an opportunity to reach double digits under par on the penultimate hole, but in the clubhouse, Young edged closer to extra holes. Fox denied him with his birdie.
Other Contenders
Kim Si-woo took the lead when holing from off the green at the 6th but faded on the closing stretch, sharing sixth with Casey Jarvis and Lucas Herbert. Tommy Fleetwood, the hometown hero, could not end his major wait at Birkdale. He kissed his hand, waved, and touched his heart after holing a 72nd-hole birdie. He finished tied for fourth. Scottie Scheffler, who took 32 putts in round two, flew from the traps on Sunday but slipped to six under on the 15th. Birdies at the 16th and 17th left him one from the lead, but he carved his tee shot right at the last and took three from there, finishing at minus seven. “I guess it just wasn’t my week,” Scheffler said.
MacIntyre and DeChambeau
Bob MacIntyre slammed his driver into the ground and received a code of conduct warning. “I’m going to do it for the rest of my career,” the Scot said. “I try and toe the line, but when you feel you’re playing a golf course that you can hit it pretty much anywhere and there’s no real punishment and then you do hit one slightly off line and you get the biggest punishment you can possibly get, it’s just a sore one. I’m going to react aggressively at times. Part of my DNA.”
Bryson DeChambeau hovered on the leaderboard before a disastrous triple-bogey seven on the 11th. He tied for 14th, his best major finish of 2026. The R&A breathed a sigh of relief that he did not close only two from the lead, that being the penalty for his errant footwork on the 5th during Friday's round.
McIlroy's Finish and DeChambeau Comments
Rory McIlroy signed off with a 71 for a one-under total. He was asked whether he would welcome DeChambeau at the Irish Open, rumoured to be a possibility. “I think that would be great for the tournament, absolutely,” McIlroy said. “Having someone like Bryson at the Irish Open, it would be great for the tournament.”
