Fox claims Open title as Fleetwood finishes fourth

New Zealand's Ryan Fox claimed his maiden major title at the 154th Open, carding a final-round 68 to secure a one-shot victory over American Cameron Young at Royal Birkdale.

For the European sporting public, the championship delivered a familiar narrative of near-misses. England's Tommy Fleetwood, the home favourite, surged into contention with a birdie-birdie finish to post a 68, ultimately sharing fourth place with world number one Scottie Scheffler. Rory McIlroy, another central figure for European galleries, finished nine strokes off the pace after a one-over 71.

Young set the clubhouse target at nine under after a final-round 64, having overturned a seven-shot deficit to lead the field. He charged up the leaderboard with a front-nine 29 and birdied both par-fives after the turn, though he failed to get up and down to save par at the last. He then waited more than two hours to see if his score would hold.

Fox, who began the day two strokes behind overnight leader Sam Burns, matched Young's target with back-to-back birdies from the 13th hole. After dropping a shot at the 15th, Fox converted from 10 feet at the 16th to pull level again. Scheffler briefly looked a threat at 10 under before bogeying the final hole.

The tournament was ultimately decided at the par-four 18th. Fox fired his approach to 12 feet and converted the birdie putt to finish at 10 under, sparking celebrations on the final green. Burns, who lost his overnight lead after three consecutive bogeys from the fourth, finished two strokes back in third. It marked the second successive season he failed to convert a 54-hole major lead.

Fox's victory was anchored by a third-round 62, which equalled the lowest round in men's major history. He becomes the first New Zealander to win the tournament since Bob Charles in 1963, joining Charles and Michael Campbell as the nation's only male major champions. Lucas Herbert had also equalled that major record with a second-round 62 on Friday.

"It's unbelievable, to be honest. I still don't know what to think. My nerves are all over the place," Fox said. "Everything was shaking. I'm not quite sure how I hit it straight. As soon as I saw it tracking to the left edge, I thought: 'This has got a chance!'"

Broadcaster Dame Laura Davies attributed the victory to Fox's aggressive strategy. "He stayed aggressive, I don't think he was scared of losing it," she said. "The way he played 18, I don't think you could have drawn that up any better."