Last Sunday, Cameron Young was waiting on the range at Royal Birkdale after finishing the 154th Open with 9-under when a roar shattered his focus. In the distance, Ryan Fox had holed an 11-foot birdie putt to lift the Claret Jug, just one shot ahead of Young. Filled with emotion, Fox called home, telling his family he had won and was coming back home to celebrate. But the Kiwi had not expected to bump into Young at the airport the very next day.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Here is a quick recap in case you missed it: Fox arrived at the airport to catch an early morning flight. Guess who was also there to catch the very same flight? Yes, Cameron Young. It was 6:16 AM at Manchester Airport, and freelance golf photographer Matt Hahn captured Fox checking in for the flight. He also answered a few questions from fans about the week and soaked in the congratulatory messages. Young saw and heard all of it, but the worst was yet to come. Young’s seat was exactly ahead of Fox, and the Kiw’s Claret Jug box was kept right above his head.
Recalling the Monday morning, on the Fore Play podcast, Fox said he felt “really guilty.” “He actually was there at [British Airways] check-in [line at Manchester Airport], and I did feel really guilty. I’m literally walking in, stumbling in more than anything… He was great, though. I’ve played a bit with Cam since being on tour. He was asking a bit about some of the protocols. I was like, I don’t know, dude. One’s a replica, one’s a real one. I’ve got to give one back. That’s all I know.”
Fox had chased national opens before—runner-up at the 2022 Irish Open, 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge, the 2015 Maekyung Open, and others—but never closed the deal. But what makes this win so special for him is the fact that it was his first major win. He also became only the second Kiwi to win the Open, after Bob Charles in 1963. But while Fox had tasted defeat, Young had tasted it more recently and painfully.
Young had come close before at the majors too: runner-up at the 2022 Open, third at the 2026 Masters, but wins at the Players and Cadillac kept him sharp. His efforts, however, didn’t go completely to waste, as the 29-year-old is now the World No. 3.
“He was brilliant,” Fox waxed lyrical about the man who he edged past. “It’s hard. I’ve been on the receiving end of it, not to that level. People hold a putt on you to win, and sometimes you’ve just got to be like, ‘Okay, fair play.’ He’s so good, that dude. He’ll win a major very soon.”
On Sunday at Birkdale, Cameron Young said he didn’t have much hope that the winning score would be 9-under. But it came tantalizingly close to a playoff after Fox missed his birdie chance on the 17th. Cameras caught Young practicing on the range alone, bracing for a possible playoff. However, Fox’s 72nd hole putt obviated the need.
As for their numbers from the tournament, Fox carded rounds of 72, 68, 62, and 68. He picked 21 birdies against 10 bogeys as his putter stayed hot. But much of it was bolstered by a record-tying 62 in Round 3 and four birdies in his final six holes. Young, on the other hand, produced rounds of 67, 67, 73 and 64 with 17 birdies and 8 bogeys. His closing 64 featured seven birdies but ended with a bogey on 18, leaving him one stroke short.
Young’s World No. 3 ranking and wins over top pros like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy show his caliber. Young can even take this momentum into his next event.