Royal Birkdale (Southport): There was no shortage of drama at the 154th Open, almost down to the wire. No fewer than seven players were at least 8 under at some point, and no one went past 11 under before the roulette ball fell to 9 under over two and a half hours.Then New Zealander Ryan Fox holed his final shot from just under 12 feet, initially cautiously but surely sliding into 10-under par, surpassing American Cameron Young’s 9-under clubhouse target, which had been set when Fox had yet to reach the turn in the final round.The New Zealander, the son of former All Blacks rugby league international Grant Fox, birdied four of his final four holes to finish in dramatic fashion, barely out of position around the turn despite a bogey on the par-3 15th, clearing the post and his opponent. With the crowd holding its breath, Fox summoned the courage to kick the ball from 12 feet, putting Young in trouble again.Fox (68) finished second at 10 under, while Young (64) improved from 3 under to 9 under. Overnight leader Sam Burns (72), who nearly missed out on playing the Open with his newborn daughter, moved to 11 under before storming off the fourth hole with three consecutive bogeys to drop to 8 under and holding on until the end to finish third.Defending champion Scottie Scheffler (67) didn’t give up until the last moment. He made an improbable eagle on the par-4 18th and wound up with bogey to finish tied for fourth with Southport-born Tommy Fleetwood at 7 under, but his chances disappeared after three straight bogeys in the middle of the ninth through 11th holes.
