How Fox kept cool at baked Birkdale to win The Open

The Open Championship, final leaderboard

-10 R Fox (NZ); -9 C Young (US); -8 S Burns (US)

Selected: -7 S Scheffler (US), T Fleetwood (Eng); -6 L Herbert (Aus); -5 L Aberg (Swe); -4 B DeChambeau (US); -3 M Penge (Eng), J Smith (Eng), D Brown (Eng); -2 R MacIntyre (Sco), S Lowry (Ire); -1 R McIlroy (NI), M Wallace (Eng)

Full leaderboard

As chaos unfolded on Sunday afternoon at the 154th Open Championship, Ryan Fox was the man who kept cool in the baking conditions at Royal Birkdale.

The 39-year-old New Zealander, who is the son of All Black rugby legend Grant, shot a two-under 68 to finish one ahead of American Cameron Young and lift the Claret Jug.

After a final round full of spills and thrills, Fox knew a birdie on the 18th would be enough to secure his first major title.

Easier said than done. The long par-four had yielded only four birdies all day, but the courageous Fox did not take a step back as he chased down long-time clubhouse leader Young.

Fox grabbed the driver out of the bag and launched a crackerjack of a 330-yard tee-shot into the middle of the fairway.

With 175 yards left, he hit one of the approach shots of his career into the heart of the green.

Then he calmly stepped up and converted the biggest putt of his life from 11 feet.

"I didn't feel anything for the putt - everything was shaking that much," said Fox, who was a 100-1 outsider at the start of the tournament and finished with four birdies in his final six holes to earn the title of 'Champion Golfer of the Year'.

"It's not a very comfortable feeling. It's certainly very enjoyable when you see it go in."

Fox's career has often been overshadowed by his father Grant's achievements, given he helped the All Blacks win the 1987 World Cup and was once their record points scorer.

The family's strong sporting stock also includes Ryan's grandfather Merv Wallace, who captained and coached the New Zealand cricket team.

"We've got a great history in our family," said Fox. "The other great thing is I had no pressure on me to follow in any of their footsteps.

"I don't know if this tops their achievements, but it's certainly right up there. I guess there's no pressure on my kids going forward now."

Fox's fantastic finish capped a magnificently tight Open which could have gone in any direction on a chaotic and dramatic Sunday.

Four men topped the leaderboard at one point or another - Fox, Young, American overnight leader Sam Burns and South Korea's Kim Si-woo - while American world number one Scottie Scheffler and English fan favourite Tommy Fleetwood moved within touching distance.

But the way which Fox saw off the competition - and played the final hole - was a microcosm of his approach to the sport. Unflustered, uncomplicated and done with a minimum of fuss.

"I did say to my caddie on the tee that we were going to take it on, that I was going to try to win the tournament, and I'd live with the consequences if I stuffed it up," said Fox, who had never previously finished in the top 10 at a major in 28 attempts.

"To go out there and execute that drive, which is not a very comfortable tee shot, and to hit it in the fairway and give myself a chance was huge."

It was also another example of how the late bloomer - who did not start playing professionally until he was 24 - has perfected the art of patience and perseverance.

After an opening-round 72, Fox was seven strokes behind the lead and in joint 85th place.

A second-round 68 lifted him up to tied 52nd before he propelled himself into contention on Saturday with an eight-under 62, which tied the record for the lowest round at a men's major tournament.

Fox has made the largest comeback by position after 36 holes at a major in history.

The world number 56 is also the lowest-ranked Open champion since Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke in 2011.

As the drama unfolded on the course, Young unpacked his locker in the Birkdale clubhouse.

The 29-year-old American had already done all he could on the links and set a target of nine under par, which he hoped the rest could not catch.

"I thought 10 [under par] had a decent chance," he said after bogeying the final hole.

Young did not fancy watching the action. Instead he said he would grab a bite to eat in the players' restaurant before "packing up my locker just for efficiency's sake".

He might have had a Claret Jug - the prize given to the Open champion - to pack and take home, too.

But, as he prepared on the range for a potential play-off, he could hear exactly what Fox had done on the nearby 18th by the cacophony of celebratory cheers.

Young made the most of the scoreable early conditions in Sunday's final round, shooting a six-under 64 which looked like it might be enough to finish clear of the chasing pack.

Young started his final round more than two hours before the final group went out and, playing in a lighter wind, threatened to shoot a fourth record-equalling round of 62 this week.

A poor bogey on the 18th - driving into a fairway bunker and hitting the lip of it with his second shot, finding the greenside sand with his third, before almost chipping in - ended his chances of adding to that history.

While it ultimately damaged his hopes of becoming a first-time major champion, Young pointed to a one-over 73 on Saturday as the reason why he fell short.

"I walk away feeling like I could have won with a C-plus day in there," he said.

"Not that the golf was bad, but the first couple days were fine. If you give those a high B, a C-plus day, and really an A day today, I ended up feeling I had a chance to win with not everything I've got."

If the Open winner was picked by a poll of the Birkdale crowd, Fleetwood would have been crowned champion by a landslide.

But professional sport isn't a popularity contest. The 35-year-old Englishman has often been accused of not showing enough killer instinct in the key moments of majors - and that could be levelled at him again this week.

After scrambling well on Thursday and putting his foot down on Friday, Fleetwood moved within a shot of the lead on Saturday before two late bogeys left him seemingly with too much work to do.

Starting five shots back on Sunday, local lad Fleetwood had to swing well, play smartly and stay calm in the eye of the storm.

He sucked up the energy provided by a swell of support from thousands of adoring fans and again moved within one shot of the lead.

Fleetwood says he has dreamed almost daily of lifting the Claret Jug since he was seven years old and lifted himself into serious contention with a bold approach which led to a third birdie of the round on the eighth.

But his hopes were dashed once again following a nightmare around the turn.

Three bogeys in a row - on the ninth, 10th and 11th - ensured a poignant home Open victory would remain a fantasy.

Fleetwood conceded an over-zealous approach on the ninth - which bounded through the baked green and led to a bogey - was a "terrible mistake".

It slammed Fleetwood's round into reverse. He lost momentum, the crowd lost hope.

But there was still a mutual show of love as Fleetwood walked down the 18th fairway, lapping up a rapturous reception and showing his appreciation by thumping his heart.

He rewarded their unconditional support with a birdie on the last, which bumped him up to a tie of fourth place alongside Scheffler.

"I haven't won The Open this week, and I'm still chasing that, but that was special and something I'll remember for a long, long time."