The NBC telecast of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, won by Ryan Fox with a birdie on the 72nd hole, gave the network the most-watched final round of the season’s last major championship since 2022.
As our Adam Schupak wrote in his coverage of the event, TV cameras almost missed Fox’s winning putt at the final hole because Fox plays faster than just about any golfer on the planet.
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“I was always that way as a kid. I see things fast,” he said. “I was the same when I was playing cricket growing up. I played almost every sport growing up, and tennis I wanted to hit the ball hard, and cricket I wanted to hit the ball hard. Everything just happened fast. I was never methodical at anything, to be honest, and it just carried over into golf.”
Jul 19, 2026; Southport, ENG; Ryan Fox reacts on the 18th green after putting for a birdie to win The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Sunday’s final round coverage on NBC and Peacock averaged 4.3 million viewers, up six percent from last year when Scheffler won at Royal Portrush (4.1 million viewers).
The final-round audience peaked at 6.1 million viewers on from 1:15-1:30 p.m. when Fox overtook clubhouse leader Cameron Young.
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Saturday’s coverage averaged 3.7 million viewers, the most-watched third round since 2018 and up 16% from last year (3.2 million viewers).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: NBC delivers best Open ratings in four years
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