Ryan Fox, 39, Wins His First Major at Royal Birkdale: One of the Longest Roads to the ‘Claret Jug’

At an age when many golfers are eyeing the senior circuit, Ryan Fox finally has a major.

The 39-year-old New Zealander birdied the 72nd hole at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, July 19.

He won the 154th Open Championship, his first major title after a professional career spanning two decades.

Fox closed with a final-round 68 to reach 10-under 270, one shot clear of American Cameron Young, who bogeyed the last. A day earlier, he had shot a 62, tying the lowest round in major championship history.

Per the PGA Tour, he is only the third man from New Zealand to win a major, after Bob Charles at the 1963 Open and Michael Campbell at the 2005 U.S. Open. The son of former All Blacks great Grant Fox, he told NBC Sports, “You do dream of this moment.”

Fox is the oldest first-time major winner in a decade, and his long climb puts him in storied company on the road to ‘the Claret Jug’.

According to Open history, Darren Clarke was 42 when he claimed his maiden major at the 2011 Open, the oldest first-time champion since 1967.

Henrik Stenson was 40 when he won at Royal Troon in 2016. And Todd Hamilton, a journeyman who spent 12 years on the Japan tour, was 38 when he won a 2004 playoff at the same course.

For Fox, long known for near-misses and team golf, the Claret Jug rewrites the story. At 39, he finally has the trophy to prove it.