Slow play has found its nemesis in Ryan Fox, whose fast speed of play in capturing the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale – the time from when Sam Burns holed out on the 18th green to when the Kiwi hit his putt was all of 22 seconds – was, truly, an example to everyone.
Of that tendency for fast play, Fox would later quip: “I can’t drive fast in New Zealand because we get too many speeding tickets. Yeah, I would say just my brain works fast. That’s just how everything is; it’s just always how I’ve seen it on the golf course.
“If you tried to slow me down and make me do everything slowly, I think I’d be pretty useless, to be honest!”
Fox also recounted a comment from world number one Scottie Scheffler dating back to the Phoenix Open earlier in the season. “We walk off the ninth tee, and he goes, ‘Foxy, it doesn’t even feel like you’re in the group. It just feels like we’re playing in a two-ball, you hit it so fast. It’s just in the air’.”
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In setting the example of how faster golf works, Fox is – as he always has been, to be fair – a breath of fresh air and his execution in the final round, hitting a 9-iron from 165 yards to 12 feet, and rolling in the winning birdie putt almost as soon as Burns had retrieved his own ball spoke volumes for his attitude.
When it counted most, Fox took on shots. Like his recovery from a greenside bunker on the 15th. On his way up to the par-3, he knew his ball was in a bad place (actually positioned up against the side of the bunker) because on-course television commentators Radar Riley and Thomas Levet had got there in advance of him and were spending a long time explaining to their viewers the problem that would face the New Zealander.
In another example, Fox took his medicine by not even attempting to go near the green, never mind the flag, and pitched out backwards to the area in front of the green and then got up and down for a bogey that would prove as crucial as any of his birdies.
Fox, who jumped from 56th in the official world rankings to career-best 22nd on the back of his win, will most likely be among the field for the Amgen Irish Open at Trump Doonbeg in September (he has been a great supporter of the tournament, losing out to Russell Knox in a playoff in Ballyliffin in 2018) ahead of playing in the BMW PGA at Wentworth.
Before then, it will be back to matters stateside where his focus will be on the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Golfers with disability ‘play their hearts out’
Ireland lost out to England by the narrowest of margins – on countback – in the European Nations Cup for Golfers with Disability in Italy, with team captain Paul Kelly describing the “heat and humidity” as “extreme”.
Cian Arthurs (Roganstown), Kate Daly (Temple), Conal Flynn (Athenry) and Caolan Munnelly (Tullamore) produced a superb performance over the three-day tournament where Ireland and England finished tied on 232 stableford points. Ireland had carried a one-point lead into the final day, and would lose out on countback on the final day to claim the silver medal.
“They played their hearts out ... the performance over the three days was exceptional, they really rose to the occasion,” said Kelly.
Indeed, it proved to be a productive few days in amateur international competition for Irish players with Malahide’s Gavin O’Neill winning the prestigious Dutch Junior Open to add to the McGregor Trophy win by 16-year-old Ollie McEvoy of Ballycastle in England.
Word of Mouth
“Ryan played amazing. He’s a well-earned champion. Hat’s off to him. He did what he needed to do down the stretch.” – Sam Burns, who had carried a two-shot lead in the final round, tipping his cap to Ryan Fox. Burns had only decided to play after his wife Caroline gave birth to their daughter on July 3rd and finished third, one month after finishing runner-up to Wyndham Clark at the US Open.
By the numbers: 13
Ryan Fox’s win at Royal Birkdale this year extends the current streak of first-time winners of the Open. The streak sits at 13 first-time champions, the record for the longest span of breakthrough winners. The streak started with Phil Mickelson in 2013 through to Fox in 2026. The only span of first-time winners in Majors that is longer is the period of 19 winners of the US PGA Championship between 1952 and 1970.
On this day: July 21st, 1985
When the Irish Open was played at Royal Dublin just a few weeks ahead of the 114th Open at Royal St Georges, Sandy Lyle’s game seemed in such a state of disarray that he raised a white towel walking up the 18th hole – after shanking his drive into the Garden – and withdrew, needing to hole out from 250 yards to break 90.
Lyle was transformed, though, by the time he got to Sandwich.
“The quicker you can press the delete button, the better,” observed the Scot of his problems on Bull Island, moving on for top-three finishes in Monte Carlo and France before getting to the Kent links where he went into the final round in a four-way tie – alongside Christy O’Connnor jnr – that trailed 54-hole leaders Bernhard Langer and David Graham by three strokes.
Playing with O’Connor in the final round, Lyle posted a 70 for a total of 282, two-over, and had to wait in the clubhouse while the last few groups finished. As it turned out, Graham bogeyed three of his closing four holes and Langer two of the last three. It left Lyle one stroke clear of Payne Stewart, with Langer and Graham sharing third place with O’Connor, José Rivero and Mark O’Meara.
With the win, Lyle became the first Scot to win the Claret Jug since Tommy Armour in 1931.
Social Swing
Where do I possibly begin? First of all, congratulations to Ryan Fox. An incredible way to finish, and so happy for you, Anneke and the family and team. The week has given me and my family moments and memories that will last forever. I am forever grateful for the support everyone has given me and the love that you showed, and I’m so proud of my home town for @theopen that you delivered! What an honour and a privilege to have played in that atmosphere in front of you all, thank you! I hope we get to do it again! – a touch of class from Tommy Fleetwood despite his disappointment.
In the Bag: Ryan Fox (the 154 Open)
Driver: Srixon ZXi RKT (10.5 degrees)
3-wood: Srixon ZXi RKT (18 degrees)
Irons: Srixon ZXi5+ (3), Srixon ZXi5 (4&5), Srixon ZXi7 (6-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50, 56 and 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Anser 2D
Ball: Srixon z-Star XV
Know the Rules
Q: In stroke play, a player removes an out-of-bounds stake which interferes with their swing. What is the ruling?
A: The player gets two penalty strokes unless they replace the stake to eliminate any improvement and restore the original conditions. This situation is covered in Definition of Boundary Object (Rule 8.1a and Rule 8.1c): A boundary object cannot be moved to improve the conditions affecting the stroke. However, the player can avoid a penalty by replacing the stake to eliminate any improvement and restore the original conditions.
