Siwoo Kim Ties for 6th... 'Misses Out on Becoming First Korean to Win The Open'

Final Major of the Year: 2-Over in Final Round
Led Through 10 Holes, Four Bogeys on Back Nine
Fox Claims First Major Victory; Young Second, Burns Third

Siwoo Kim narrowly missed out on winning The Open, the oldest major tournament.

On July 20 (Korean time), Kim competed in the final major of the 2026 season, the 154th The Open (total prize money of 17.75 million dollars), held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club (par 70, 7,223 yards) in Southport, England. He recorded two birdies and four bogeys in the 4th round, losing two strokes. Kim posted a 2-over-par 72 for the day, dropping to a tie for 4th place with a final total of 6-under-par 274. This marks his 10th top-10 finish of the season, but he remains winless.

Siwoo Kim is cheering after making a birdie with a putter on the fringe of the 6th hole during the 4th round of The Open. Southport=Photo by AFP

Kim started the day tied for second, two shots off the lead, and made his first birdie on the 5th hole (par 4). He then used a putter from the fringe on the 6th hole (par 4) to make another birdie, briefly moving into the lead.

However, on the 11th hole (par 4), his tee shot landed in a bunker, and his second shot found the rough, resulting in a bogey. Missing the greens on both the 12th (par 3) and 16th (par 4) holes, he lost two more strokes and effectively fell out of contention. Throughout the tournament, Kim played every round on painkillers due to an Achilles tendon injury he sustained during the event.

The tournament title went to Ryan Fox of New Zealand, who is ranked 56th in the world. Fox carded five birdies and three bogeys for a 2-under-par 68 on the final day, clinching a one-shot victory with a total score of 10-under-par 270. He sealed his dramatic come-from-behind win by sinking a birdie putt from about 3.56 meters on the final 18th hole (par 4).

Ryan Fox is cheering after making a birdie on the 18th hole of the 4th round at The Open to secure his victory. Southport — AP Yonhap News

For Fox, this win marks his third career victory, coming one year and one month after the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic in May 2025 and the RBC Canadian Open in June 2025. He took home a winner’s check of 3.2 million dollars (about 4.7 billion won). It is the first time in 63 years, since Bob Charles in 1963, that a New Zealander has won The Open. Fox also has experience playing in seven tournaments on the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour, with his best finish being a tie for second at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May 2015.

Cameron Young of the United States, world No. 4, surged with a 6-under-par 64 in hopes of capturing his first-ever major title but finished runner-up at 9-under-par 271. Sam Burns (United States), who led after the previous round, faltered with a 2-over-par 72 to drop to third place at 8-under-par 272.

Scottie Scheffler (United States), the world No. 1 and defending champion, shot a 3-under-par round and finished tied for 4th at 7-under-par 273. Sungjae Im carded a 1-under-par 69, moving up to a tie for 14th at 4-under-par 276. Bryson DeChambeau tied for 14th, Brooks Koepka (both United States) tied for 28th at 2-under-par 278, and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), ranked No. 2 in the world, ended the tournament in a tie for 40th at 1-under-par 279.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.