Winners, Losers & Payouts: Ryan Fox Claims the Claret Jug, Royal Birkdale Delivers, and the Player of the Year Race Just Got Interesting

If every major championship looked like this, golf fans would have absolutely nothing to complain about four Sundays every year…which, of course, means we’d just find something else.

Royal Birkdale gave us everything. Eagles under immense pressure. Heartbreaking quads and worse. Million-dollar swings. Redemption. Possibly a little “cheating.” A leaderboard loaded with stars. Several jaw-dropping rounds of 62. And enough Sunday drama to remind everyone why The Open Championship remains golf’s greatest test.

Ryan Fox walked away with the Claret Jug, a winner’s check worth $3.2 million, and a permanent place in golf history after proving that one hot round doesn’t win a major—four great ones do. 

Cameron Young continued what has quietly become one of the best seasons on the PGA TOUR. And Tommy Fleetwood once again left fans wondering when he’ll finally break through in a major. Then there was Bryson DeChambeau.

His well earned two-shot penalty Saturday became arguably the biggest storyline of the week, outside of Fox’s triumph. The ruling sparked endless debate. Bryson voiced his frustration afterward, and the controversy briefly threatened to overshadow one of the best championships of the year. Sometimes in golf the biggest drama doesn’t come from a tee shot—it comes from a rule book.

Fortunately, Sunday shifted the attention back where it belonged.

Ryan Fox made sure of that.

So let’s hand out a few winners, a few losers, count a whole lot of money, and relive another memorable Open Championship.

Winners and Losers from Sunday at the Open Championship: 

Winner: Ryan Fox

Forget “out of nowhere.”

Ryan Fox has been knocking on the door for a while, and this week he kicked it down. (Note: When he pulled out of the Masters at the last minute and ruined my DraftKings lineup, I swore the man was dead to me, but I’ve reversed course.)

Yes, Fox was one of several players to post a brilliant 62 during the championship, but unlike many of the low rounds that came and went, he backed it up for four days. That’s what separates major champions from everyone else. His play down the stretch Sunday, including a perfectly played birdie at the last, was sublime. 

And he played fast, even under the unyielding pressure of a Sunday in contention in a major. Crazy fast. Perfectly fast. Hey slow golfers, Fox should be the example you follow. Pick up the pace and you too could win an Open Championship! 

Fox finished at 10-under par, proving Royal Birkdale wasn’t defenseless despite the fireworks.

The reward?

A Claret Jug.

A near lifetime exemption into The Open.

And a cool $3.2 million payday.

Not a bad week’s work.

Winner: Royal Birkdale

Every year someone says the golf ball has made classic courses obsolete.

Royal Birkdale politely disagreed.

Sure, players shot record tying 8-under, 62s. Including Fox and Burns.

Several of them.

But here’s the stat that matters: 10-under won the championship.

One magical round wasn’t enough.

You still had to hit fairways, control your ball in the wind, escape bunkers, and make pressure putts coming home.

That’s exactly what a major championship should demand.

The setup rewarded great golf without turning the tournament into a survival contest.

No circus.

No gimmicks.

Just one of the world’s great golf courses asking the right questions.

Winner: Cameron Young

If Ryan Fox hadn’t won, Cameron Young would’ve been a deserving Champion Golfer of the Year. He balled out Sunday, finishing up with “Round of the Day” 64.

He came up short, but will head home with $1.842 million, another runner-up finish, and an even stronger case for PGA TOUR Player of the Year.

Young has put together one of the best seasons in professional golf with multiple victories, including THE PLAYERS Championship, and now adds a runner-up finish in golf’s oldest major.

If Player of the Year is truly about the best season—not reputation or world ranking—Young deserves to be leading.

Loser: Scottie Scheffler’s Player of the Year Campaign

Let’s be clear.

Scottie Scheffler is still the best player in the world.

That doesn’t automatically make him the PGA TOUR Player of the Year.

This award is supposed to recognize this season.

Right now, Cameron Young owns the stronger résumé.

Young has more victories, won THE PLAYERS Championship, and nearly added the Claret Jug.

Scheffler tied for fourth, earned $827,500, and continued another incredibly consistent season.

But consistency isn’t always enough.

With only the FedExCup Playoffs remaining—and likely just three tournaments left on Scheffler’s schedule—he’ll need a huge finish to overtake Young.

If Scottie wins the playoffs, the debate ends.

If not, Cameron Young deserves the Jack Nicklaus Award.

Loser: Tommy Fleetwood

Can someone please let Tommy Fleetwood catch a break?

He’s one of the most popular players in golf.

Fans love him.

His peers respect him.

His swing belongs in a textbook.

And yet major championships continue to find new ways to break his heart.

Fleetwood left Royal Birkdale with another outstanding finish and $827,500, but let’s be honest…

He would’ve traded every dollar for about three fewer shots and a Claret Jug.

The good news?

He keeps putting himself in contention.

Eventually the golf gods have to smile back.

Right?

Biggest Loser: Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson spent as much time in the headlines as anyone this week, but not for the reasons he wanted.

Saturday’s two-shot penalty became one of the championship’s biggest talking points. The ruling generated plenty of debate, Bryson openly expressed his frustration, and for a while it felt like everyone was talking more about the rules of golf than the brilliant golf played at Birkdale. That’s a shame.

Bryson remains one of the most entertaining players in the game when the focus stays on his shot-making. He’s arguably the biggest star in the game, especially with Tiger still nursing his rep and ails.

Major championships test everything—your swing, your patience and sometimes your ability to accept a ruling you don’t agree with.

Thankfully, Sunday’s golf gave everyone something better to talk about.

Loser/Winner: Sam Burns

Calling Sam Burns a loser feels ridiculous. He and his wife just had a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Belle. But like at the US Open at Shinnecok in June, he couldn’t get it done on Sunday to set up a major victory. 

He finished third, earned $1.181 million, and continues to build one of the strongest résumés in golf without a major championship.

Along with Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre, Burns belongs on the shortlist of the best players still chasing that first major.

Considering how complete his game has become, it feels less like if and more like when.

⸻

The Bogey

Royal Birkdale proved something this week.

The game doesn’t need tricked-up golf courses.

It doesn’t need manufactured controversy.

And it certainly doesn’t need to apologize when the best players in the world shoot great scores.

Give them a legendary venue.

Let the architecture do the talking.

Then sit back and watch.

Ryan Fox delivered the performance of his career.

Cameron Young made the Player of the Year race impossible to ignore.

Tommy Fleetwood reminded us why everyone keeps pulling for him.

Sam Burns continues knocking on the door.

And The Open Championship once again reminded us why it’s arguably the 2nd most important major in golf.

Now the attention turns to the FedExCup Playoffs.

If Cameron Young and Scottie Scheffler are on opposite sides of the Player of the Year debate today, the next three weeks will settle it once and for all.

2026 The Open Championship prize money payouts

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