Ryan Fox seals first major title with Open win at Royal Birkdale

Ryan Fox has won the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, claiming the first men's major title of his career. The title was decided by a putt that Fox described afterwards as a moment in which "everything was shaking".

The New Zealander's reaction, given in the immediate aftermath of victory, underlined how tightly the closing stages of the championship were contested. Fox spoke to media shortly after holing the decisive putt, describing the physical toll of standing over a stroke that would settle a major.

The winning moment

Royal Birkdale, the links course in Southport on England's north-west coast, staged the championship and provided the setting for Fox's breakthrough. The venue has a long history of hosting The Open, and the final round produced the kind of finish the championship is known for.

• Ryan Fox wins the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale
• It is the first men's major title of Fox's career
• The championship was decided by a putt that sealed the result
• Fox said "everything was shaking" as he made the putt
• The win came at one of the Open's established English links venues

The victory marks Fox's arrival among golf's major champions after a career spent competing at the top level of the professional game. Attention now turns to how the result reshapes the remainder of the season, with the New Zealander's status on the sport's biggest stages altered by a first major success.