Ryan Fox buried an 11-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Cameron Young, cap a record-setting week and claim his first major championship.

Ryan Fox arrived at Royal Birkdale without a top-15 finish in a major championship.

He left as the Champion Golfer of the Year.

Fox captured the 2026 Open Championship in spectacular fashion Sunday, making an 11-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Cameron Young and claim the Claret Jug. His winning moment capped a tournament filled with record-low scores, controversial rulings and one of the most dramatic finishes in recent Open history.

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Fox reached the 18th tee tied with Young at 9-under and needing a birdie to avoid a playoff.

That was no simple assignment.

Royal Birkdale’s closing hole had surrendered only four birdies during Sunday’s final round and just 27 all week, making it the toughest birdie opportunity on the course. Fox responded by splitting the fairway and firing his approach to 11 feet.

He never gave Young another chance.

Fox rolled the putt into the center of the cup, raised both arms and completed the biggest victory of his career.

The winning charge required a serious recovery. Fox made bogeys at Nos. 9 and 11, appearing to fall out of the championship while Young waited in the clubhouse after shooting his way from seven strokes behind into the lead.

Fox answered with three back-nine birdies before delivering the tournament winner at 18.

His week also included a 62, tying the record for the lowest round ever posted in a men’s major championship. Fox joined Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns in shooting 62 at Royal Birkdale, giving the course three record-tying rounds over the final three days.

Herbert nearly went even lower. He missed a short par putt on the 18th that would’ve produced the first 61 in men’s major history.

Burns used rounds of 62 and 65 to build a two-shot lead after 54 holes, but his pursuit of a first major unraveled quickly Sunday. Three bogeys over his opening six holes erased his advantage and forced him to chase for the rest of the afternoon.

Bryson DeChambeau supplied the week’s loudest controversy.

The R&A assessed DeChambeau a two-stroke penalty during the second round for improving his lie at the fifth hole. The ruling dropped him from second place into a tie for fifth and triggered a public dispute that dominated the championship conversation.

Despite speculation that he might withdraw, DeChambeau returned Saturday to a warm reception from the Royal Birkdale crowd. He never fully recovered on the leaderboard, eventually finishing tied for 14th.

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The penalty drama, record-setting 62s and Burns’ collapse will all remain part of the story.

But the final image belongs to Fox.

One fairway. One fearless approach. One putt for a major championship.

He didn’t miss.