Ryan Fox's 2026 Open Championship Winning Bag: What Did the Kiwi Have in the Bag at Royal Birkdale?

By Bunker Ball Golf | Melbourne, Australia | What's in the Bag

Yesterday at Royal Birkdale, Ryan Fox did something only two other New Zealand men have ever done. He holed a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win the Claret Jug, becoming the 2026 Open Champion and etching his name alongside Sir Bob Charles (1963) and Michael Campbell (2005) in Kiwi sporting history.

It was one of those finishes you will not forget in a hurry. Cameron Young had already posted a final round 64 and was waiting on the range, hoping for a playoff. Fox, ranked outside the top 50 in the world heading into the week, birdied 16 to retake a share of the lead, bogeyed 15 (brutal lip-out off the back edge of a greenside bunker), birdied 16 again, and then stepped up on the 72nd hole and drained the putt to win. Took him all of 22 seconds from lining it up to watching it drop. Ice cold.

If there is an extra layer of pride here for Aussie and Kiwi golf fans, it is that Fox is as Kiwi as they come. Son of All Blacks legend Grant Fox, grandson of cricketer Merv Wallace. Some sporting genes. And now a major champion at 39, winning his first Claret Jug with a bag full of prototype Srixon clubs that are not even available to the public yet.

Let's take a look at exactly what Fox had in the bag at Birkdale.

Ryan Fox's 2026 Open Championship Winning Bag

Driver: Srixon ZXi RKT LS+ (Prototype) 10.5° with Fujikura Ventus Black TR 6 TX Shaft

The headline club. The Srixon ZXi RKT LS+ is a prototype that has not been released to the public at the time of writing, which makes this win all the more interesting from a gear perspective. Interestingly, Fox also made a shaft change coming into this tournament, moving out of a Mitsubishi Diamana and into the Fujikura Ventus Black TR 6 TX. That is a meaningful switch. The Ventus Black TR is a low-launch, low-spin option that suits a powerful player who wants a penetrating, wind-resistant ball flight through the links conditions at Birkdale. At 10.5 degrees of loft on the head, Fox is clearly getting his launch angle from the swing rather than relying on the loft.

3-Wood: Srixon ZXi RKT 15° with Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X Shaft

Again a prototype, and again the Ventus Black. Fox is consistent through his top of bag with a low-launch, low-spin theme. On a links course where ball flight and roll out matter as much as carry, this setup makes complete sense. The Ventus Black 7 X is slightly heavier than the driver shaft, which is typical for tour players who want a tighter, more controlled feel on fairway wood shots.

3-Iron: Srixon ZXi5+ 20° with Fujikura Ventus Blue HB 9 X Shaft

This is the club that replaced what would typically be a hybrid in most amateur bags. The ZXi5+ is a long iron with a slightly beefier profile than a standard blade, sitting between Srixon's ZXiU utility and the ZXi5 iron in terms of size and shape. Fox runs the Fujikura Ventus Blue HB here rather than the Black, which is a mid-launch, low to mid spin profile. The HB stands for Hybrid, referring to the heavier butt section of the shaft. At 9 X flex in an iron, this is a serious shaft for a serious player.

Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4, 5) and ZXi7 (6-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Shafts

Fox transitions from the ZXi5+ long iron into the ZXi5 for his 4 and 5 irons, then moves into the ZXi7 from 6 iron through to pitching wedge. The ZXi5 has a slightly larger profile and more perimeter weighting for the longer irons where consistency matters. The ZXi7 is a more compact, players-style iron with a thinner topline. Both are shafted with the True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 throughout, one of the most proven iron shaft options in professional golf and virtually the standard for elite ball strikers.

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack 50°, 56°, 60°

Fox carries a three-wedge setup in the 50, 56, and 60 degree configuration. These are Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack wedges, which are the refined, tour-specific versions of the RTZ line with the Tour Issue grind selection and tighter quality tolerances. Shaft-wise, the 50 degree pitching wedge runs True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 to match the irons, while the 56 and 60 step down to the S400 for slightly more feel around the greens. Classic setup for a tour-level short game.

Putter: Ping Anser 2D with SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0P Grip

The only non-Srixon or Cleveland club in the bag. Fox is one of a relatively small number of players at the top level still using a traditional blade-style putter, and the Ping Anser 2D is about as classic as it gets. The Anser is the original professionally designed blade putter and has probably won more tournaments than any other putter head in history. Fox rolled it beautifully all week, ranking first in Strokes Gained Putting on Saturday. That 22-second putt on 18 to win the Claret Jug tells you everything you need to know about how well this flatstick was working.

Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

The Z-Star XV is Srixon's highest performance ball, built for distance with a firmer feel than the standard Z-Star. It features a 338-speed dimple pattern and a Spin Skin coating with SeRM (Slide Ring Material) technology for wedge and iron spin. As a Srixon staff player, Fox plays the brand's ball exclusively, and the XV suits his aggressive, high-speed game perfectly.

What Fox's Bag Tells Us About Playing Links Golf

There is a clear theme running through Fox's setup at Birkdale. Everything in the top of the bag is pointing toward low launch and low spin. The Ventus Black TR in the driver, the Ventus Black 7 X in the fairway wood, the shaft swap away from the Diamana, all of it is pointed toward keeping the ball under the wind and generating roll out on the firm, fast links turf. This is the kind of setup decision that separates a generic bag from a properly fitted, course-specific setup. Fox and his team made some smart calls heading into this week.

It is also worth noting that Fox carries a lot of Srixon technology through the bag and has done for years. He is a committed Srixon staff player and has clearly built a strong working relationship with their team to get prototype gear into play at the biggest tournament of the year.

Inspired by Fox? Here's What Bunker Ball Golf Can Do for Your Srixon Setup

If you play a Srixon driver or fairway wood and Fox's win has you thinking about dialling in your own setup, we can help with two things specifically.

Aftermarket shafts for your Srixon driver or fairway wood. Fox made a shaft change going into Birkdale and it paid off. If your Srixon driver is not performing the way you want it to, or you just want to explore what a different shaft profile might do for your ball flight, we build premium aftermarket shafts to order at our Sandringham workshop. When you order you select your Srixon compatible adapter, your flex and weight, and your preferred grip. It all arrives built and ready to drop straight into your existing driver head. We stock options from Mitsubishi, Project X, KBS, Aldila, and Graphite Design across a range of price points and launch profiles.

Golf Pride grips for your Srixon irons and wedges. Grips are one of the most overlooked upgrades in golf and one of the most impactful per dollar spent. Worn grips lead to tighter grip pressure, which affects swing tempo and feel through the whole set. We carry Golf Pride grips across the full range including the Tour Velvet, MCC, and Z-Grip Cord options, and we offer a regripping service by appointment from our Sandringham workshop with a 2 to 5 business day turnaround.

Browse our full shaft range, check out our Srixon ZX Series adapters, or get in touch if you want to talk through what shaft or grip might suit your game. We ship Australia and New Zealand wide, with free shipping on orders over $400.

And if you are a Kiwi reading this right now, enjoy it. Fox just brought the Claret Jug home for the first time since 1963. That is worth celebrating.