Kiwi Ryan Fox produces last-hole masterclass to win 154th Open at Birkdale

Add a Kiwi win to three Australian triumphs at Royal Birkdale. Step forward Ryan Fox, who played the final hole as well as anyone in the 154-year history of The Open to emulate compatriot Bob Charles, who achieved the feat 30 miles up the coast at Royal Lytham in 1963, by claiming the Claret Jug.

With a clubhouse total of nine-under-par having been posted by American Cameron Young a full 15 groups ahead of the last one, Fox moved on to that mark by holing a ten-foot birdie putt at the 16th. He then missed a golden opportunity from the same distance at the par-5 17th.

Ryan Fox plays his second shot on the 18th hole in the closing round of the The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale | Warren Little/Getty Images

Having finished around two-and-a-half hours earlier after catapulting himself up the leaderboard on the back of a best-of-the-day 64, Young, the runner-up at St Andrews in the 155th edition in 2022, probably fancied his chances of at least being in a play-off.

The 18th here is by no means a pushover and certainly not when you are trying to land a maiden major win. Just ask Young. He’d found sand with his tee shot. His 6-iron from there caught the lip of the bunker and squirted the ball sideways.

The world No 4 then found another bunker at the side of the green and, though what an attempt it was, he couldn’t save par. “I would have paid a lot for Bob’s birdie today,” he said of playing with Bob MacIntyre as he waited to see if he’d done enough to come from seven shots behind at the start of the day and become a fourth consecutive American to be announced as the ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’.

After overnight leader Sam Burns, who finished runner-up in last month’s US Open, agonisingly missed out again one of the game’s marquee events and defending champion Scottie Scheffler and local hero Tommy Fleetwood both came up just short as well, it all came down to Fox, the son of All Blacks rugby legend Grant.

His tee shot was a peach, avoiding trouble on the right side of the fairway. From 150 yards, the approach was equally majestic. The 39-year-old is one of the quickest players in the game. Once Burns had putted out, he wasted no time. It looked as though an 11-footer might stop in the jaws but in it toppled. Up his powerful arms went in the air as the grandstands around the green exploded in a crescendo of noise.

“I hit two shots exactly how I wanted to hit them,” he said, smiling. “I didn't feel anything for the putt; everything was shaking that much. I was just happy to hit it somewhat near the hole, and to see it go in was incredible. I did say to my caddie, Dean [Smith], on the tee that we were going to take it on, that I was going to try to win the tournament, and I'd live with the consequences if I stuffed it up.”

Fox won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2022 but on courses a lot different to one that was brick hard and yellow. He’d triumped on the PGA Tour as well. Strangely, he’d not managed to record a top-ten finish in 28 previous major appearances. He has now, and, boy, was it in style.

Earlier, Southport man Fleetwood raised the loudest roar of the week as he started his day by rolling in a 73-foot birdie putt at the first. The local hero was still in with a chance of a fairytale win after adding further gains at the fifth and eighth only to see his momentum halted by an untimely bogey at the ninth. That was that, unfortunately, as his challenge fizzled out on the back nine.

Ryan Fox shows off the Claret Jug after winning The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale | Tom Russo | The Scotsman

After an unconvincing start, including three bogeys in a row from the third, from overnight leader Burns - he’d held a 54-hole lead on five previous occasions and had only managed to convert one into a title triumph - four players were tied for top spot at one point before Kim found himself out in front on his own after getting to ten under following back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth, where he holed from off the green with his putter.

Over the course of the four days, Scheffler missed putt after putt, finishing well down the field for strokes gained in putting with -1.29. Despite that, the world No 1 hung in there all the way to the bitter end. Helped by getting a free drop from a hospitality unit at the 17th, he made a birdie there. If he’d finished with another one, he’d have matched Young’s total but bogeyed the 18th.

As the excitement was sucked out of the air a bit after it had looked as though an epic finish was on the cards, Young’s clubhouse target looked more and more likely to be good enough. Fleetwood finished with a birdie to end up alongside Scheffler and can be proud of his performance. Kim, too, even though he fell away on the back nine in his brave bid to become the first Asian-born player to claim this prize.

After his stuttering start, Burns steadied the ship with 11 pars in a row to still be in with a chance as he tackled the closing stretch. In contrast to his playing partner, Fox was having an up-and-down run on the back nine. After having to play out backwards from a bunker at the new par-15th, he dropped a shot there. His third birdie in four holes, though, from ten feet at the 16th moved him level with Young.

Despite being bunkered off the tee at the par-5 17th, Fox had a golden chance to go to ten under but was unable to convert a ten-footer. Under the circumstances, his fairway-splitting drive down the last was a belter. As was his approach and in went that putt.

Young finished runner-up again, with Burns having to settle for third on eight under. Scheffler and Fleetwood were next on seven under. Three players, one of them being Fox, may have shot major record-equalling 62s earlier in the week, yet, as the winning total showed, it certainly wasn’t a case of Royal Birkdale being brought to its knees. What a week for 306,000 fans - a new record for the event.