How Fox kept cool at baked Birkdale to win The Open
Ryan Fox wins the Open Championship - his first major title - with his final putt on a record-breaking weekend at Royal Birkdale.
The Open Championship, final leaderboard
-10 R Fox (NZ); -9 C Young (US); -8 S Burns (US)
Selected: -7 S Scheffler (US), T Fleetwood (Eng); -6 L Herbert (Aus); -5 L Aberg (Swe); -4 B DeChambeau (US); -3 M Penge (Eng), J Smith (Eng), D Brown (Eng); -2 R MacIntyre (Sco), S Lowry (Ire); -1 R McIlroy (NI), M Wallace (Eng)
As chaos unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the 154th Open Championship, Ryan Fox was the man who kept cool in the baking conditions at Royal Birkdale.
The 39-year-old New Zealander, who is the son of All Black rugby legend Grant, shot a two-under 68 to finish one ahead of American Cameron Young and lift the Claret Jug.
After a final round full of spills and thrills, Fox knew a birdie on the 18th would be enough to secure his first major title.
Easier said than done. The long par-four had yielded only four birdies all day, but the courageous Fox did not take a step back as he chased down long-time clubhouse leader Young.
Fox grabbed the driver out of the bag and launched a crackerjack of a 330-yard tee-shot into the middle of the fairway.
With 175 yards left, he hit one of the approach shots of his career into the heart of the green.
Then he calmly stepped up and converted the biggest putt of his life from 11 feet.
"I didn't feel anything for the putt - everything was shaking that much," said Fox, who was a 100-1 outsider at the start of the tournament and finished with four birdies in his final six holes to earn the title of 'Champion Golfer of the Year'.
"It's not a very comfortable feeling. It's certainly very enjoyable when you see it go in."
Fox's career has often been overshadowed by his father Grant's achievements, given he helped the All Blacks win the 1987 World Cup and was once their record points scorer.
The family's strong sporting stock also includes Ryan's grandfather Merv Wallace, who captained and coached the New Zealand cricket team.
"We've got a great history in our family," said Fox. "The other great thing is I had no pressure on me to follow in any of their footsteps.
"I don't know if this tops their achievements, but it's certainly right up there. I guess there's no pressure on my kids going forward now."
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Fox's fantastic finish capped a magnificently tight Open which could have gone in any direction on a chaotic and dramatic Sunday.
Four men topped the leaderboard at one point or another - Fox, Young, American overnight leader Sam Burns and South Korea's Kim Si-woo - while American world number one Scottie Scheffler and English fan favourite Tommy Fleetwood moved within touching distance.
But the way which Fox saw off the competition - and played the final hole - was a microcosm of his approach to the sport. Unflustered, uncomplicated and done with a minimum of fuss.
"I did say to my caddie 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," said Fox, who had never previously finished in the top 10 at a major in 28 attempts.
"To go out there and execute that drive, which is not a very comfortable tee shot, and to hit it in the fairway and give myself a chance was huge."
It was also another example of how the late bloomer - who did not start playing professionally until he was 24 - has perfected the art of patience and perseverance.
After an opening-round 72, Fox was seven strokes behind the lead and in joint 85th place.
A second-round 68 lifted him up to tied 52nd before he propelled himself into contention on Saturday with an eight-under 62, which tied the record for the lowest round at a men's major tournament.
Fox has made the largest comeback by position after 36 holes at a major in history.
The world number 56 is also the lowest-ranked Open champion since Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke in 2011.
Young left with anxious wait - and bad news
As the drama unfolded on the course, Young unpacked his locker in the Birkdale clubhouse.
The 29-year-old American had already done all he could on the links and set a target of nine under par, which he hoped the rest could not catch.
"I thought 10 [under par] had a decent chance," he said after bogeying the final hole.
Young did not fancy watching the action. Instead he said he would grab a bite to eat in the players' restaurant before "packing up my locker just for efficiency's sake".
