Ryan Fox’s 2026 British Open win had the kind of finish that makes a major feel larger than life, but the best scene came after the trophy was handed over. The 39-year-old from New Zealand, fresh off an 11-foot birdie on the final hole at Royal Birkdale, got on FaceTime with his wife and two daughters back home in Florida and shared the moment with them.
“You asked me to bring a trophy home and I am, aren’t I?,” Fox said.
His wife, looking at the Claret Jug, called it “The best trophy you could win,” and added, “The most famous trophy.”
Fox still sounded stunned by what he had just pulled off.
“I don’t know what to think right now,” Fox said while still clearly in disbelief of his life-changing win. “I don’t know how I hit that last putt, to be honest.”
Then came the question from his daughter: “Daddy, can you show me how big the trophy is?”
That family call capped a day that began with Fox as a long shot in the field and ended with him holding the final major championship of the year. He entered the week ranked No. 56 in the world and became the lowest ranked player to win the British Open since Darren Clarke in 2011.
Fox’s route to the Claret Jug was anything but smooth. He opened with a two-over 72, then followed with a two-under 68 on Friday to squeeze into the weekend by a single shot.
Saturday changed everything. He fired an eight-under 62, tying the record for the lowest score in major championship history, and suddenly found himself in the final group on Sunday with Sam Burns.
From there, Fox closed like a champion. He birdied four of his last six holes and finished one shot ahead of Cameron Young for a dramatic victory. Fox had never finished in the top 15 in any of his previous 28 major championship appearances, which made the finish even more striking.
Afterward, he said on the Golf Channel that the Claret Jug would be filled with red wine, and by Monday morning he was already headed home with it. He was spotted at the airport boarding his flight back with the trophy in tow, sitting in coach with the Jug in the overhead bin.
Fox’s win also came with the usual major-championship rewards. He took home $3.2 million, is exempt into the other three majors for the next five years, and is guaranteed entry into the British Open until he’s 55 years old.
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