Cameron Smith Falls Short at British Open, Finishes 2nd to Ryan Fox

Cameron Smith narrowly misses out on his first major championship title at the British Open, finishing 2nd to Ryan Fox. The American golfer had a strong final round, shooting 64, but ultimately came up short.

What happened?

Cameron Young was waiting on the range at Royal Birkdale, driver in hand, when a huge roar came that he didn’t want to hear. Just a stone’s throw away on the 18th green, Ryan Fox had holed a 12-foot birdie putt to win the British Open. There’d be no playoff for Young. No chance to end his wait for a first major championship title.

Why it matters for Cameron Smith

The 29-year-old Young had some close calls at the majors, following a runner-up finish at the British Open in 2022: he made eagle on the final hole to be one stroke back from Cameron Smith at St. Andrews: and a tie for third at the Masters this year after sharing the 54-hole lead. Now up to No. 4 in the world, the widespread belief in golfing circles is that Young’s time will come.

What comes next?

Young had some food, cleared out his locker: “for efficiency’s sake,” he said: and spent some time in the players’ lounge. By 6 p.m., he was practicing on the putting green. And around half an hour later, the spectators in the huge grandstands lining one of the most famous walks in golf gave him the bad news.

Young had a chance to win with not everything he’s got, he said. So I think that’s a good takeaway. He surely will regret his 3-over 73 on Saturday that came after two 67s and dropped him to a tie for 20th overnight. Young’s thoughts after Fox completed victory are a mystery because he declined to talk to the media.

A chance to shine

Young had some food, cleared out his locker: “for efficiency’s sake,” he said: and spent some time in the players’ lounge. By 6 p.m., he was practicing on the putting green. And around half an hour later, the spectators in the huge grandstands lining one of the most famous walks in golf gave him the bad news.

Young said he thought 10-under par would have a “decent chance” of victory. So it proved. And he would have got there: or maybe better: had he not found a fairway bunker on No. 18 after choosing to hit driver. He barely got out of the sand with his second shot that struck the top of the bunker wall and spilled out 20 yards forward, and went on to scramble bogey.

A strong performance

Young had a great round of golf, he said. And he did it in a really good way. Young’s score could have been 60, he said. I played a great round of golf, and I did it in a really good way. Young’s thoughts after Fox completed victory are a mystery because he declined to talk to the media.

The road ahead

Now up to No. 4 in the world, the widespread belief in golfing circles is that Young’s time will come. That’s because he has risen to elite company this year with wins at The Players Championship in March and the Cadillac Championship at Doral, in front of President Donald Trump, a couple of months later.

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