Fox on the Run: Kiwi's Calm Soar Ends in Sweet Canadian Triumph
Ryan Fox outduels Sam Burns in playoff thriller as international stars shine north of the border
Paju, Korea - Veteran New Zealander Ryan Fox held his nerve under grey skies and gentle breeze to win the RBC Canadian Open in a playoff, defeating Sam Burns with a birdie on the fourth extra hole in Hamilton.
Fox’s closing 66 completed a stunning 262 total, tied with Burns, who fired a day-low 62 to force the playoff. But it was Fox’s cool-headed wedge to four feet at the fourth time of asking on the 18th that sealed his second PGA TOUR win—and second playoff triumph in 2025.
“It’s surreal, really,” said Fox, 38, who now counts two TOUR titles in just over a month. “I felt comfortable all week. But Sam’s charge was something else. I just had to stay in my own bubble.”
Burns, an RBC ambassador, came within a roll or two of clinching his fifth TOUR title. His Sunday fireworks lit up the leaderboard, but his 2-2 playoff record was dented again by Fox’s steadiness. “Gutted, of course,” Burns said. “But hats off to Ryan. He just kept hitting the right shots when it mattered most.”
The international flavour of the leaderboard echoed the season’s trend: 15 of 26 events have now been won by non-Americans. Fox becomes the second New Zealander to win the Canadian Open after Bob Charles in 1968.
Kevin Yu of Taiwan impressed with a third-place finish, earning one of three precious spots at the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Portrush, alongside Cameron Young and Matt McCarty. Young, still winless on TOUR despite seven runner-ups, continues to knock on the door.
Defending champion Nick Taylor secured low Canadian honours, his T13 finish earning him the Rivermead Cup. Teen amateur Tyler Mawhinney, just 17, walked away with the Gary Cowan Medal as low amateur, finishing T65.
The win vaults Fox to 25th in the FedExCup and likely 32nd in the world rankings—enough to book a place at next week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. It also earns him a spot in the Travelers Championship via the Aon Next 10.
Fox may not be the flashiest figure on TOUR, but his game is mature and unshaken. In an era of bombers and bravado, it was his ability to breathe, believe and birdie when it counted that made the difference.
Fox by name, calm by nature.