Ryan Fox finished the Open Championship at 10 under after closing with 68. His victory was built on a strong record-tying score of 62 in the third round. And Fox needed every bit of that scoring burst to hold off Cameron Young by a single shot on Sunday at Royal Birkdale. On the other hand, Bryson DeChambeau finished six shots back of that number, closing at 4 under, tying for 14th. But days later, at his press conference ahead of LIV Golf United Kingdom at JCB, DeChambeau made it clear he still sees that gap differently than the leaderboard suggests.

“Yeah, I made the cut. No, it was a good fight. I wish I could have given it more on Saturday and Sunday; it felt like I could have. Besides the fifth hole and being three over on that hole, and then the 11th, that’s six shots. That’s tied for the lead right there. That’s two holes, and I’m right there with the Claret Jug,” he said in the press conference.

After facing sharp criticism throughout the year for an inconsistent form and missing cuts at majors, Bryson DeChambeau opened the championship with a 67 and followed it with 66 on Friday. The score, though, was later adjusted to 68 after the two-stroke penalty at the fifth hole.

🤔 golf trivia

This Should Be an Easy One, Right?

01/10

How Many Kiwi Golfers Have Won a Major?

3451

Oops, bogey!

But don’t worry, there’s still the back 9 to prove your high golf IQ

PLAY GOLF TRIVIA

As the penalty cost him hard, Bryson DeChambeau admitted considering withdrawing but instead decided to fire back. “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it,” he tweeted.

He backed it up with a one-under 69 on Saturday to stay in contention. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee noted, “He can just tee off, cut corners, and not worry about it, so it comes down to his short game, and his short game has been keeping up to the task.”

Rightfully so, as Round three left him four shots off the leader, Sam Burns, and still inside the top 10 heading into Sunday, with a realistic chance of making a charge. The path, however, closed on the par-4 11th in the final round.

Bryson DeChambeau’s drive flew into deep rough left of the fairway, and his second shot advanced the ball only a few yards further. His third then found deep fescue on the other side of the hole and was ruled unplayable. That incurred him a one-stroke penalty before he’d reached the green. But he successfully got the hole out, and the sequence had produced a triple bogey, 7. Although he responded with birdies on the 13th and 14th, he played the final four holes in even par, signed for a 72, and finished tied for 14th at four under.

Bryson DeChambeau’s position on the leaderboard did put him within striking distance of Ryan Fox. But the way their weekend, especially Sunday, unfolded could not have been more different. Fox opened with rounds of 72 and 68 before the record-tying 62 in round three, which put him in contention. He then held his club tight on Sunday for a stunning finish of 68 at 10 under, 270.

For Fox, perhaps, the victory was a culmination of a stretch that had been building for months, rather than a breakthrough. He had arrived at the Open after winning the 2025 RBC Canadian Open in a playoff over Sam Burns. Moreover, he had displayed a performance of tied for 19th at last year’s U.S. Open and tied for 23rd at this year’s championship at Shinnecock Hills.

As for Bryson DeChambeau, he did not win or contend for the Claret Jug. But he did show encouraging signs after a difficult stretch. This is his strongest major performance since finishing runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at last year’s PGA Championship. Penalty or not, the Californian native’s tie for 14th suggested his game is still moving in the right direction. If he builds on that form, he may close the gap next time at a major.