# New Zealand's Ryan Fox wins the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with a birdie on the 18th > Ryan Fox drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England on July 19 to win the Claret Jug at 39, becoming only the third New Zealander to win The Open and claiming his first career major title **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-19 · heads: How Life Changes · 12 takes · 5 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary [New Zealand](/en/entity/new-zealand)'s Ryan Fox won the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England on July 19, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to claim the Claret Jug and his first career major title, per Golf Channel's recap. Fox, 39, beat American Cameron Young to finish and became only the third New Zealander to win The Open, per Golf Channel. Sky Sports broadcast the moment live from Birkdale, one of the most demanding links courses on the Open rota. Sir Bob Charles, 90, who won the 1963 Open as the first New Zealander to win the Claret Jug, told NZ Herald Fox's approach to golf is "refreshing." ## The split US golf broadcasting (Golf Channel, PGA Tour, CNN) covered Fox's win primarily in the context of Cameron Young's runner-up finish and the major-championship narrative of the American field. [UK](/en/entity/united-kingdom) coverage via Sky Sports focused on the venue, Royal Birkdale's storied history, and the drama of the closing hole. New Zealand coverage was its own register: NZ Herald devoted multiple reports to Fox's win, the most resonant being Sir Bob Charles, 90, the only living person who previously won The Open as a New Zealander, weighing in with a first-hand perspective absent from any other outlet. ## By the numbers - 12-foot, length of Fox's birdie putt on the 18th to win - 39, Fox's age at time of the win, among the older first-time major winners in the modern era - 3, New Zealanders to win The Open Championship in history - US$5.5 million, Fox's winner's prize - 9, times Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open ## Why it matters Fox's win adds a rare major to New Zealand's golf record. At 39, he is among the older first-time major winners in the modern era. The victory at Royal Birkdale, which has produced landmark Opens, raises [New Zealand](/en/entity/new-zealand)'s profile in major championship history. ## What to watch - Official full leaderboard and final score from The R&A - New Zealand government and NZ Golf reaction - Fox's world rankings change and schedule for the remainder of the 2026 season - Whether Young converts his runner-up finish into a future major win ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### US golf broadcaster, filed the definitive recap of the 154th Open Championship; focused on the historic context of a third Kiwi Claret Jug winner - **Golf Channel** (United States, en) — Golf Channel's final-round recap confirmed Fox's win in the 154th Open Championship, noting his victory marked only the third time in history a New Zealander took home the Claret Jug. The outlet framed the result in the context of New Zealand's slim but notable major history, distinct from the US-centric coverage of Cameron Young's runner-up finish. > "Fox's victory marked just the third time in history a Kiwi took home the claret jug." Source: https://www.golfchannel.com/pga-tour/live/british-open-2026-live-updates-leaderboard-scores-highlights-news-from-final-round ### Official US tour, AP wire; account of Fox's closing hole from an American sporting authority with a focus on the technical drama on the back nine - **PGA TOUR** (United States, en) — The PGA TOUR's official AP report detailed how Fox of New Zealand survived a wild ride on the back nine at Royal Birkdale before delivering the biggest putt of his life on Sunday. The report placed the win in the American professional context, noting Fox's route to his first major title came against a field including Cameron Young. > "Ryan Fox of New Zealand survived a wild ride along the back nine at Royal Birkdale and delivered the biggest putt of his life Sunday." Source: https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/daily-wrapup/2026/07/19/Round-4-2026-the-british-open-royal-birkdale-leaderboard-scores-results-storylines ### UK broadcaster at the home venue for golf; moment-of-victory coverage from Birkdale, the historic Lancashire links that has hosted The Open nine times - **Sky Sports** (United Kingdom, en) — Sky Sports captured the moment Fox won the Claret Jug with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale. UK coverage placed the win in the venue's storied context, where past champions include Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros. British sports media framed Fox's win as a triumph of a relative underdog at one of golf's most demanding links courses. > "Watch the moment New Zealand's Ryan Fox won The Open with a 12ft birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale." Source: https://www.skysports.com/golf/video/37486/13565050/ryan-fox-wins-the-open-mxf ### unlabelled - **CNN** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/19/sport/ryan-fox-wins-2026-open-championship - **ABC News (via CNN)** (United States, en) — Source: https://abc17news.com/sports/cnn-sports/2026/07/19/ryan-fox-wins-first-career-major-at-2026-open-championship/ - **KRDO News** (United States, en) — Source: https://krdo.com/news/2026/07/19/ryan-fox-wins-first-career-major-at-2026-open-championship/ - **CP24** (Canada, en) — Source: https://www.cp24.com/news/sports/2026/07/19/ryan-fox-wins-first-career-major-at-2026-open-championship/ - **WPDE ABC 15** (United States, en) — Source: https://wpde.com/news/local/former-myrtle-beach-classic-champion-ryan-fox-wins-first-major - **Yahoo Sports** (United States, en) — Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ryan-fox-meet-zealand-golfer-154424906.html - **NZ Herald** (New Zealand, en) — Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/golf/the-open-championship-live-updates-ryan-fox-in-contention-for-major-victory/GTMNMBINQBBENDNUGYDLZUMSY4/ - **NZ Herald** (New Zealand, en) — Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/golf/ryan-foxs-open-triumph-pays-out-2m-to-punters-backing-kiwi-golfer/MGR7UB3YHNAP3DON5UJQTDEZNE/ ### New Zealand's national daily; Sir Bob Charles, the 1963 Open champion and first New Zealander to win the Claret Jug, praised Fox's approach to golf from the perspective of the country's golfing elder statesman - **NZ Herald** (New Zealand, en) — NZ Herald reported that Sir Bob Charles, 90, who won The Open in 1963 as the first New Zealander to claim the Claret Jug, said Fox's approach to golf is 'refreshing' and that he plays 'the way the game should be played.' The piece provided home-country reaction from the one living person whose experience of a New Zealand Open win most closely mirrors Fox's. > "Sir Bob Charles says Fox's approach to golf is 'refreshing'." Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/golf/sir-bob-charles-praises-ryan-fox-after-historic-open-championship-win/DKDJAMYG3JEJDB4QSJKY4LGNYU/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[london-diamond-league-jul18]], [[kerr-mile-world-record-jul18]] - Entities: New Zealand, United Kingdom --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/fox-open-birkdale-jul19