New Zealander Ryan Fox won The Open with a brilliant birdie on the 18th and final hole to beat Cameron Young by a single stroke, shattering Tommy Fleetwood's dream of a home victory.
Fleetwood's Fairytale Turns to Heartbreak
For a few glorious hours, it felt like Tommy Fleetwood's fairytale was going to come true. He grew up dreaming of gracing the Royal Liverpool course on the greatest stage, with his family, friends, and a legion of supporters cheering him on. But then his moment in the sun turned to darkness in the space of 60 maddening minutes, leaving the hometown hero heartbroken once again.
As Fleetwood stood at the top of the hill on the ninth hole preparing to take aim at the pin with his approach, he was one shot off the lead. Two birdies in four holes had taken him to -8, and just two rivals were above him on the leaderboard. Then all hell broke loose as the man with one of the finest temperaments in golf suffered a meltdown in the blazing heat.
Costly Bogeys Derail Fleetwood
His approach shot almost pitched in the hole but took a firm bounce before rolling off the back of the green. He failed to get up and down and finished with a bogey instead of what should have been a birdie. On the next hole, his tee shot ended in rough, from where he left himself a 9-foot putt for par which he failed to make. The galleries were groaning, but worse was to come on the next hole, when Fleetwood got out of position again to leave another long putt for par—and another one he couldn't hole.
Fleetwood had made it a hat-trick of bogeys at the worst possible time, and the Open bubble he'd spent all week floating around in had been well and truly burst. He found himself five shots adrift of leader Si Woo Kim with just seven holes remaining and knew deep down his chances of landing his first Major title at the place he loves the most had gone.
Fox's Stunning Finish
While Fleetwood faltered, Ryan Fox seized the moment. The New Zealander birdied four of the last six holes, including a clutch putt on the 18th, to clinch the Claret Jug. Fox finished at -10, one stroke ahead of American Cameron Young, who had set the clubhouse lead with a final round of 68.
Fleetwood rallied with two birdies down the stretch to finish with a round of 68, two shots behind Young. An emotional Fleetwood thumped his heart in appreciation of the thunderous support he received in a week of what might have beens. Four rounds in the 60s hadn't been enough.
Fleetwood's Reflection
An emotional Fleetwood said: "I'm going to look at me finishing two, three shots off and think what could I have done better. That aside, walking up the 18th hole, I've dreamt of that as a kid and all my life. That ovation surpasses anything I can imagine. I haven't won The Open, I'd have loved to and I'll keep chasing but that was incredibly special."
He added: "I was playing great and felt really good. It was just the terrible mistake on the ninth fairway. I hit it over the back and that's one place you can't hit it. I felt fine. I still actually felt on 12 there was a chance. I just couldn't quite do it. When I look back, there will be things I'll learn from."
