What’s next for our British Open golf champ? Ryan Fox readies for life after the breakout victory

Saturday, 25 July 2026

Amongst the hundreds, maybe thousands of messages Ryan Fox received in the wake of his remarkable British Open golf triumph at Royal Birkdale last weekend, a few really resonated with New Zealand’s latest sporting super hero. One from Adam Scott particularly tickled the fancy of this fellow who had just scaled the proverbial mountaintop.

Fox’s stunning victory on the northwest coast of England to become just New Zealand’s third male major winner of all time, and the first to claim the Open Championship since Sir Bob Charles’ historic achievement in 1963 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, thrust him into the very elite of this excruciatingly difficult sport he does for a living.

But it was the manner it was achieved that really left the cognoscenti, and Scott in particular, in awe. The Kiwi’s first two rounds gave little hint at what was to come. He opened with a 72, was equal 85th, seven shots off the pace, and was paying $501 with the bookies to lift the Claret Jug.

It improved slightly on Friday with a two-under 68, but he was still equal 52nd, and still paying $501 with those bookies. For clarity, no one had ever won a golf major from that far back in a field. Ever.

Read More:

• After scaling the mountaintop, Kiwi golfer soaks up the realities

• Why this golfing triumph of the everyman of Kiwi sport was such a heart-warmer

• How Ryan Fox celebrated a life-changing $5.5m win and delighted Kiwi punters

• A worthy champion: Fox keeps his cool in a nerve-jangling Open finish

• Rankings soar, President’s Cup spot – the upshots of Fox’s victory

Then it all flipped. He blasted a third-round 62, tying the record for the lowest round in a men’s major, to come storming through to a share of second, barely slept with his mind racing, and then came out on Sunday and birdied four of his final six holes, including a stunning near four-metre putt on the last, to secure the Champion Golfer of the Year title.

Fox, now back in New Zealand for a short break to take stock, reflected on the messages that flooded his phone in an interview with The Post from his home in Jupiter, Florida.

“I got a really good one from (Aussie former world No 1 and 2013 Masters champion) Adam Scott. He basically said I don’t know how you carry round those big balls. That was pretty damn cool coming from him. I had a good laugh at that and look forward to being part of that [President’s Cup] team with him.”

Another that struck a chord with this son of a gun (All Black great Grant Fox) came from two-time major winner and Jupiter neighbour Justin Thomas. Fox digs in his phone to find it: “‘I’ve got a piece of advice for you, Foxy. Enjoy it. Remember every little detail. There will be a day you wish you remembered more of it to draw back on.’ That’s pretty deep from someone who has been through it.”

The usual suspects reached out. Sir Bob. Michael Campbell (the other Kiwi male major winner). World surfing champ Kelly Slater. Three-time women’s major winner Lydia Ko made a video call while Fox was mid-celebrations with his crew in the players’ lounge (he did not sleep a wink that night as the party shifted soon after to his digs), supping red wine out of a certain Claret Jug. It’s given him a fair indication that those four rounds of links golf have changed his life.

But will it change him? The most approachable and relatable Kiwi in professional sport. A guy who oozes everyman charm and the down-to-earth Kiwi vibe, rated the ultimate “good bugger” who never says no to a media call.

“I really hope not,” he smiles. “I’m going to have to say no a little bit more because if I don’t, I’m not going to get any time to myself. I can probably get away with it in the US. I feel like I’ve got anonymity here. I’m not sure that will change.

“But it was already kind of the opposite in New Zealand, and I can only imagine it’s going to be a lot different now. That’s cool. I’ve got people I can lean on to ask what that’s like. Obviously Dad has lived it, and I’ve got a really good team around me.”

Fox’s mindset at Birkdale has been a much-discussed topic. After his big move on Saturday he phoned his father in New Zealand and assured him he was ready for this moment. That he wasn’t going to die wondering.

“I played the whole week trying to be aggressive, take the golf course on and live with the consequences, and played a lot of really good golf doing that,” reflects the big-hitting Kiwi. “I was trying to do the same on Sunday. It’s a little harder when you’re kinda not feeling your hands. I did say to my caddie a few holes into Sunday, I feel a lot better than I thought I would.

“Then down the stretch it really kicked into gear. I felt weirdly in control. When I put myself back in that position, it almost feels too hard. But at the time I felt like I had a sniff, I had a good process and, even though I got a bit unlucky on 15, I did not feel like I missed a shot the last six holes. To do that with a chance to win a major championship … I’m very proud of myself.”

Fox won by being Fox. By going for it. By using those appendages that Scott so admires. Essentially by being true to himself.

“I like playing aggressive and feel like, mentally, I’m in a better place doing that,” he says. “It’s easier to live with the consequences if you're trying to take something on and stuff it up, rather than trying to be conservative and you stuff it. The second shot on 18 on Saturday out of that bunker was the same theory. I wasn’t going to die wondering … I had a chance, I took it, hit a really good shot and made a bit of history.

“It was the same Sunday on the tee on 18. OK, I’ve got a chance to win a major, I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance to do this again, so I’m going to take it on. If I don’t pull it off I can be proud of myself for being brave in the moment. I was brave in the moment, but I also pulled it off.”

And now? That’s the bit to figure out. How does he refocus, repurpose, rededicate? He uses a vertiginous metaphor espoused by his father around mountaintops, and the need to descend from them in order to climb back up again.

Birkdale has earned him a three-week break to clear the head and refind a groove, and he’ll return for the Tour playoffs and President’s Cup. He’s climbed from 56 to 22 in the world, banked $5.5 million (less expenses) and has exemptions coming out the wazoo that serve up five years of luxurious certainty.

“It makes the golf side of things, the logistics, the scheduling, pretty easy. It probably makes the rest of my life quite a bit more complex, with a lot more going on, and obviously a lot more scrutiny and what comes with that.

“If you’d have given me the career I had before last week when I first turned pro I would have jumped at it. A couple of PGA Tour wins, a few DP World Tour wins, playing on tour as long as I had … above my wildest dreams. Now throw a major championship in the mix, the only thing I’ve got is, holy shit, what do I do from here?”

Win another one? Don’t put it past a fellow who only knows one way to play his golf.