Ryan Fox happy he adds to family's great sporting history with Open win

Fox's father Grant won the 1987 Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks while his grandfather Merv Wallace captained New Zealand in cricket

Ryan Fox's no nonsense approach to the game was a breath of fresh air compared to others at The Open. Pic: David Davies/PA Wire.

Ryan Fox began his weekend taking money off Shane Lowry in a bet on the All Blacks v Ireland game. By Sunday evening he had joined his country’s most successful sporting export as one of his nation’s greats.

The 39-year-old’s Open Championship victory was a riveting spectacle as the final round unfolded at a sun-baked Royal Birkdale, and the wide-open chase for the Auld Claret Jug gradually narrowed to three men. The golfing narratives of the Americans, Cameron Young and Sam Burns, in contention at the bitter end and desperate to exorcise past near misses, would have made either one a worthy champion. Yet there was something special about watching Fox navigate his way towards a maiden major title.