2026 Open Championship: Underdog Fox Wins the Claret Jug - Facts and Figures

Royal Birkdale, July 19, 2026. Twelve feet of grass stood between a man and eternity. Ryan Fox stood over the ball, the silence of the course weighing heavily on his shoulders—and yet he let it go. The putt rolled, dropped, and disappeared into the hole. What followed was not jubilation, but awe—the awe of a man who had taken 39 years to arrive right here.

The 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale was a major tournament full of dramatic twists, historic statistics, and human stories. In the end, a name was engraved on the Claret Jug that hardly anyone had on their list four days earlier: Ryan Fox of New Zealand.

Here you’ll find the final leaderboard for the 2026 Open Championship.

Ryan Fox – From Underdog to Major Champion

A Career Full of Detours

Anyone familiar with Ryan Fox’s career knows he’s no stranger to the game. With five titles on the DP World Tour, most recently victories at Myrtle Beach and the 2025 RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour, the New Zealander had long since proven his quality on the biggest stages of world tour golf. But he just couldn’t seem to get it together at the majors. In 28 starts, Fox had yet to record a single top-10 finish. At 39 years old and ranked 56th in the world, he traveled to Southport—not as a favorite, but with the composure of a veteran.

The Round of His Life – Saturday’s 62

What happened on the third day of the tournament can hardly be adequately described with numbers alone. Fox shot a round of 62—eight under Par—setting the major record for the lowest 18-hole round. It was the first 62 ever shot by a player at The Open who went on to win the title. Three players reached that mark this week—Burns and Herbert on Friday, Fox on Saturday—but only one of them would end up holding the Claret Jug.

Jumping from a tie for 85th place after the first round to the final pairing on Sunday, Fox set two historic records: No player had ever been further down the leaderboard after the first day of play and gone on to win the Open. The previous record was held by Mark O’Meara—ironically, also at Royal Birkdale, in 1998.

Keeping a Cool Head in the Final

Final day could have thrown Fox off his game. As the last player to tee off, alongside favorite Burns, with the pressure of an entire nation on his shoulders—instead, the New Zealander played a round marked by control and class. Four Birdies on the final six holes, including the decisive one on the 18th—the most difficult hole of the week with an average score of 4.345.

“I told my caddie Dean after the first eight holes that I felt much better than I expected,” Fox said after the victory. His composure didn’t come out of nowhere. Years of experience, victories in various formats, and an understanding of his own strengths—all of that paid off at the decisive moment. Fox described the final Putt this way: “My hands were shaking. I took a deep breath and just tried to play the line.” The ball found the hole.

Read all about the 2026 Open Championship final and the winner, Ryan Fox, here.

What the Victory Means—Records & Facts

Ryan Fox’s triumph at Royal Birkdale is far more than just a victory—it’s a historic event that will be immortalized in the annals of golf:

• First New Zealander since Bob Charles (Royal Lytham & St Annes, 1963) to win the Claret Jug
• Record: lowest starting position after Round 1 (T-85) and Round 2 (T-52) ever to lead to an Open victory
• First champion to shoot a 62 at The Open and go on to win it
• Tied the record for the final 36 holes: 130 strokes (last set by Marc Leishman in 2022)
• First Birdie on the 18th hole to clinch victory since Cameron Smith in 2022
• Lowest-ranked Open champion since Darren Clarke in 2011 (ranked 111th at the time)
• Prize money: $3.2 million
• World ranking jump: from No. 56 to an expected No. 22 —a new career high
• Qualification for all four majors over the next five years

“Seeing my name immortalized in the history of golf means everything to me,” said Fox—and he seemed as though he couldn’t quite believe it himself.

How much prize money was up for grabs at the 2026 Open Championship? Find out here.

Cameron Young – A Heroic Performance and a Bitter End

Seven strokes behind the leader, starting in a tie for 20th in the final field: For Cameron Young, the 2026 Open Championship already seemed to be a thing of the past on Sunday morning. What the 31-year-old American delivered afterward was one of the most remarkable closing rounds in recent major history.

Five consecutive 3s on the front nine, four Birdies—Young shot a 29 on the front nine and worked his way up the leaderboard hole by hole. When he sank his seventh Birdie of the day on the 17th, he was at ten under Par—tied with Fox, who was still out on the course at that point.

Hole 18 proved to be its toughest. Young’s drive landed in the Fairway Bunker; his subsequent recovery shot ended up in the fescue. Bogey. That sealed his fate. With a final round of 64—the lowest score of the day—Young finished one stroke behind Fox and ended the tournament in second place.

This is the second time Young has finished second at the Open: he was already defeated at St. Andrews in 2022. To keep his composure during the nerve-wracking final day, he resorted to an unusual method: “I was counting my breaths today. I just needed something to hold on to.” A statement that shows just how thin the line between victory and defeat is at this level.

Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood, and Scottie Scheffler—The Other Key Players

Sam Burns – Lead Squandered

When Sam Burns started Sunday at ten under Par and two strokes ahead of the field, the odds were stacked in his favor to become the third consecutive American Open champion. But holes 4 through 6 told a different story: Three consecutive Bogey shots—including a ball declared unplayable after a drive into the ditch on the 6th—robbed the Texan of his rhythm and momentum. Burns was unable to make another Birdie. A third-place finish with 272 strokes (-8) is his best Open result in six starts so far—but on this day, it must have felt like a missed opportunity.

Tommy Fleetwood – An Emotional Homecoming

Few stories this week were as touching as that of Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman grew up in Southport and has known Royal Birkdale since childhood. As he walked across the 18th green on Sunday and the crowd cheered to celebrate his homecoming, even this tough competitor let his guard down for a moment.

On the course, Fleetwood delivered one of the most consistent weeks in the field: He was the only player to finish all four rounds under 70—69, 67, 69, 68. In doing so, he tied Ernie Els’ record for the most consecutive Open rounds under 70 (seven). The fact that Bogey on holes 9, 10, and 11 derailed his bid for the title hardly diminishes his performance. Fourth place (-7) and an emotional memory that will last a lifetime.

“My dream of winning the Open continues. But what happened this week—I’ll never forget it,” Fleetwood said on the 18th green.

Scottie Scheffler – World No. 1 Unlucky with the Putter

The world No. 1 played solidly, including some brilliant moments: Birdies on holes 16 and 17 brought Scheffler back within striking distance on the final day. But on the 18th, his chip rolled past the hole—Bogey, fourth place. “It just wasn’t my week,” Scheffler said matter-of-factly. Still, the world No. 1 has finished 14 of his 24 Open rounds since his 2021 debut under 70—that level of consistency is impressive.

Records & Statistics from the 2026 Open Championship

The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale wasn’t just extraordinary from a sporting perspective—it also made history off the leaderboard:

• 306,000 spectators watched the week live on site—a new record in the history of the Championship
• The total prize purse of $17.75 million is also a record
• Three rounds of 62 in a single week (Burns and Herbert on Friday, Fox on Saturday)—tying the major record for the lowest 18-hole round
• Hole 18 was the most difficult hole of the entire week (average: 4.345)—marking the first time since records began that Hole 6 was not the toughest hole at Birkdale
• Only 28 Birdies were made on the final hole across all four rounds—the last of which decided the title
• The four-round scoring average was 70.739 —more than one stroke better than at the last Open at Birkdale in 2017 (71.852)
• Ryan Fox’s triumph extends the record: 13 consecutive first-time Open champions —the longest such streak in tournament history (since Phil Mickelson in 2013)
• Longest drive of the final day: 374.3 yards by Pierceson Coody on the 17th hole

The Controversy – DeChambeau and the Two-Stroke Penalty

Bryson DeChambeau provided some unwanted talking points on the second day of play. On the 5th hole, he unintentionally improved his swing area in the Rough—a rule violation that resulted in a two-stroke penalty. What followed was unusual: DeChambeau refused to give any media interviews for the rest of the week. Four days of silence. On the leaderboard, he finished tied for 14th place—a tournament he himself would likely prefer to put behind him as quickly as possible.

Read all about the controversy surrounding Bryson DeChambeau at the 2026 Open Championship here.

Outlook – 2027 Open Championship in St. Andrews

The next stop for the world’s oldest major is also its most legendary: The 155th Open Championship in 2027 will take place in St. Andrews, on the Old Course, the birthplace of golf. Ryan Fox will compete there as the defending champion—a prospect that seemed almost unimaginable just a week ago.

For Cameron Young, who has now finished as runner-up at the Open twice, St. Andrews is likely to be his next mission. Tommy Fleetwood, who craves the Claret Jug more than any other title, will also return. And Scottie Scheffler, the best world No. 1 in years, will make another run at the title.

Stumbling Favorites, Underdogs, and Lots of Fans

The 2026 Open Championship will be remembered as a tournament that had almost everything: a favorite who faltered, an underdog who made history, a challenger who gave it his all and still lost—and a host, Royal Birkdale, which once again lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s great links courses with 306,000 spectators and a dramatic final hole.

Ryan Fox didn’t just win a tournament in Southport. He proved that in golf, no deficit is too big, no ranking too low, and no age too advanced to make one of the biggest dreams come true. “Seeing my name immortalized in the history of golf means everything to me”—a set that will also go down in the record books.