‘Brain all over the place’: Ryan Fox reflects on whirlwind couple of days after major triumph

Tuesday, 21 July 2026

One of the first things Ryan Fox did when he returned home to his family was hand the Claret Jug to his 3-year-old daughter, Margot.

As the Champion Golfer of the Year said, it made for an anxious moment, albeit an immensely satisfying culmination of a whirlwind 36 hours.

“They [family] were really excited, held the trophy, which was a little bit scary giving the Claret jug to a 3-year-old, but she did a good job of it,” an exhausted Fox said.

He was not long back home in Jupiter, Florida, where he moved his family last year, running on about two hours of sleep after celebrating his British Open triumph into the small hours of Monday morning (UK time).

Running on adrenaline, and his ‘brain all over the place’, he’s still attempting to come to grip with his life-changing win, sealed after he birdied the spiteful final hole at Royal Birkdale.

The only shut-eye he managed between becoming the fourth Kiwi to win a major and arriving home was a couple of hours on the plane.

So wired after pulling off the largest positional comeback in major history, Fox decided there was no point going to bed - not when there was a ton of celebrating to do, and with a 4.15am pick-up for Manchester Airport scheduled.

“I think I made the call pretty early that I just wasn't going to go to bed, rightly or wrongly,” Fox said.

His phone has not stopped buzzing since he sealed a one-stroke victory over American Cameron Young on Monday morning (NZT).

Despite joking he might turn it off for three days after talking to his family, he’s been his usual accessible self, speaking to Kiwi and international media.

He also received a congratulatory video call from Hall of Famer and three-times major winner Lydia Ko, as well as messages from Sir Bob Charles (1963 Open) and Michael Campbell (2005 US Open) - the two other Kiwi major winners.

While some Kiwis might argue Campbell’s victory more than two decades ago takes the cake, the man himself believes Fox’s victory is the greatest sporting accomplishment by a Kiwi.

“I mean, I don't know, he held off prime Tiger Woods down the stretch at Pinehurst, which is an absolutely brutal golf course. So, I've got fairly similar memories of watching him at that point. So to have him say that, it's pretty incredible,” Fox said.

“I honestly don’t know what to think at this point. I probably haven't had a chance to process any of what's gone on…chatting to you with the Claret Jug right next to me, that doesn't quite feel real at the moment.”

Fox arrived home with two Claret Jugs. The original to keep for a year, and a replica he can hang on to.

His victory also came with a US$3.2 million (NZ$5.4 million) pay day, an exemption to the Open until he’s 55, and the other three majors, as well as the Players’ Championship, for five years.

He’s also almost certain to make the International team for September’s Presidents Cup, while Fox has also surged to a career-best No 22 world ranking.

“I can't say I was planning to play until I was 55, so I've got a few things to think about there,” Fox said.

He plans to pick Campbell’s brain, among others, to get an idea of what to expect moving forward, knowing full well things are about to change.

Campbell told Stuff many of those were positive, but negatives included added pressure and expectation, as well as commitments.

“There's going to be no flying under the radar on a Thursday and Friday for a little while going forward, it's going to take a little bit of getting used to, being in marquee groups,” Fox conceded, knowing he could start tournaments grouped with big guns such as Scottie Scheffler.

But, having decided to take two weeks off, he will worry about that a little later.

“Just to kind of process things, spend some time with friends and family and just chill out a little bit. There's a lot to figure out going forward.”

Whether that includes a return to the New Zealand Open for a tilt at the Brodie Breeze Trophy - a long time goal of his to win - in 2027 is unclear.

Fox would dearly like to tee it up at Millbrook Resort from February 25, but it will depend if it clashes with a signature event on the PGA Tour.

Speaking of the New Zealand Open, one of the blokes Fox celebrated with this week was this year’s winner of the tournament, good friend Daniel Hillier.

“We kind of joked, earlier in the year, I was very jealous of him winning the New Zealand Open, but I think I've made him slightly more jealous with this [trophy] sitting beside me now,” Fox said.

What is a given is that Fox will be at St Andrews in 2027.

“Just getting to return the Claret Jug to St Andrews, the home of golf, as the defending champion, will be a pretty cool experience.”