Ryan Fox Carries Claret Jug on Flight After 154th Open Championship Win

Q: How did the runner-up react when the man who just stole his major championship sat directly behind him with the trophy?

He appeared to take it well. Fox said the encounter with Cameron Young at Manchester Airport and on the plane “could have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t,” adding plainly: “He was great.” According to Fox’s account on GOLF’s Subpar and other retellings of the episode, Young was standing directly in front of him in the British Airways check-in line less than a day after losing by one shot at Royal Birkdale. Then, by coincidence, Fox was seated directly behind Young on the flight to London, with the Claret Jug and a replica trophy being loaded into the overhead bin nearby. There is no indication Young reacted angrily or confronted Fox. Instead, Fox’s description suggests Young handled the awkward situation calmly and graciously, despite the sting of having just lost the Open on Fox’s birdie at the 72nd hole. The awkwardness came more from the surreal timing and seating arrangement than from anything Young did.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 26

A day after winning the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, Ryan Fox persuaded a gate agent in Manchester to let him bring the Claret Jug aboard as an extra carry-on.
Fox said he did not want golf's oldest trophy gate-checked under the plane, and told the agent he was carrying the Claret Jug in a protective case.
The New Zealander recalled the agent asking what was inside and whether he had won it, then approving the request with no problem; he said fellow travelers recognizing him likely helped.
The short Manchester-to-London leg came before Fox's onward trip home from Heathrow, capping a hectic morning after his major breakthrough.
The flight added one more odd twist to Fox's Open victory: he ended up seated directly behind runner-up Cameron Young.