Ryan Fox’s steely finish secures historic Open Championship victory
The reaction to his finest golfing moment says it all – Ryan Fox image courtesy of R&A via Getty Images
It is not only that New Zealander Ryan Fox won the Open Championship for just the second time for the New Zealand nation, but it is the manner in which he did so that will be the long-lasting memory of such an achievement.
His major record equalling round of 62 on Saturday to get him in position to challenge for the title and then bouncing back from two cruel and potentially costly blows late in his final round, especially with so much on the line, and win by hitting two of the most magnificent shots at the last will make an already historic memory even more endearing.
Fox took little time over what he described as a nervy 12-foot putt for birdie to take the title, and as he did so, he threw his arms in the air, almost struggling to believe what he had just achieved.
Fox’s caddy Dean Smith fell to his knees acknowledging just what this win would mean to him also, now and forever being known as the man who assisted Fox to such a remarkable and historic win.
Fox and caddie Dean Smith – image R&A via Getty Images
Fox began the final round two shots behind his playing partner Sam Burns, but before he even began his round, it was clear on yet another day where low scoring was possible that there would be challenges from behind, and the first would come quickly.
Cameron Young began the day seven shots from Burns and five behind Fox, but by the time he reached the turn had had joined Fox at 8 under after an outward nine of 29 even before the final pairing of Fox and Burns had begun their rounds.
Fox made an encouraging start when he birdied the second from 15 feet, but Burns did the same, and the American still led by two. Then came the defining moment for Burns when he dropped shots at the 4th, 5th and 6th holes, and by the time the pair had made the turn, they were both at 8 under and trailing Si Woo Kim, who was out in 32.
Kim led at the turn by one over Young, who had finished his tournament at 9 under and more than two hours ahead of the final group despite his only bogey at the last.
Kim played his final nine holes in 40, however, and it was left to either Fox or Burns to force a playoff or win outright. Fox was first to blink when he missed a 7-foot par-saving out at the 11th, but he then birdied the 13th from 12 feet and the par 5 14th after a brilliant pitch from the left-hand greenside rough to 4 feet.
Fox was by then at 9 under and sharing the lead with Young, who continued to await his fate in the clubhouse before venturing out to warm up for a possible playoff.
Fox was doing his best to keep the occasion under control and hit a stunning shot at the par 3 15th, only for it to just catch the right edge of the front bunker and kick sharply left into a position where all he could do was play backwards. He was then left with around 40 yards to the pin for his third but hit another fine recovery to five feet and holed for an important bogey.
Another birdie would come at the next, however, when from the left-hand rough Fox hit his approach to 10 feet and when that was holed he had again joined Young at 9 under and in the lead.
The par 5 17th would surely be the hole to break the deadlock, especially given Fox’s power, but despite deciding to take an iron from the tee, adrenaline kicked in and Fox just rolled into the fairway bunker over 300 yards away and although he hit a fine 3rd shot to 10 feet he missed his birdie and headed to the last needing a birdie to win outright or a par to force a playoff with Young.
A magnificent drive was followed by a shot from 170 yards to 12 feet and Fox took little time in converting the putt for birdie and the victory by one over Young and by two over Burns.
“Surreal, to be honest,” said Fox when asked his immediate reaction. “It’s something you dream of. I used to get up in the middle of the night to watch this tournament back home. It was always something that was there just to be able to play in it, first up, and now to be an Open champion, to be the Champion Golfer of the Year, it’s unbelievable, surreal, crazy. I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to explain it, to be honest.
“We’ve got a great history in our family but I think the other great thing is I had no pressure on me to follow in any of their footsteps. I was lucky enough to carve my own path there and had support from both my grandfather early on and obviously Mom and Dad through the whole thing.”
When asked to describe the closing moments of his round and how well he had handled the tense situation Fox would say, “Yeah, definitely the first part. I mean, I hit two shots exactly how I wanted to hit them. I didn’t feel anything for the putt; everything was shaking that much. I was just happy to hit it somewhat near the hole, and to see it go in was incredible.
“I did say to my caddie, Dean, on the tee that we were going to take it on, that I was going to try to win the tournament, and I’d live with the consequences if I stuffed it up. To go out there and execute, that drive is not a very comfortable tee shot, obviously, and to hit it in the fairway and give myself a chance was huge.
“Then I landed on a good number. I think I had 160 metres to the hole. The breeze was a little down off the left. Obviously everything is a bit jammed up there, so it was just a solid 9, and I hit it exactly where I wanted to hit it. I think I screamed to it, “Please be good,” in the air, and it was.
“To cap it off with a putt — everyone practises on the green, I guess, you’ve got a putt to win a major championship, to win The Open. It’s not like that in real life. It’s not a very comfortable feeling. It’s certainly very enjoyable when you see it go in.”
When asked to describe how this moment stands at this stage of his career, Fox responded;
“When I turned pro, I mean, just to — I think the goal was just to get on a major tour, to be honest. I think I said to my team last night, you know, at dinner, if you’d have given me my career up till yesterday when I turned pro, I’d have jumped at that. I don’t know what to think now, to be honest.
“Yeah, it is something that’s always there. You dream of being a major champion. You want to do it whether you think it’s a reality or not. I guess I probably didn’t until the last couple of years. I wasn’t in the major championships consistently until the last couple of years.
“To be sitting in front of you guys now as the Champion Golfer of the Year is a bit crazy. As I said earlier, it’s surreal. I don’t have the vocabulary to explain it.”
Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood tied for 4th at 7 under.
It proved to be a great week for Australasians with Lucas Herbert finishing in a share of 6th and Adam Scott’s last round of 66 sweeping him into a share of 9th place.
For Fox, however, the victory is life-changing. Now recognised as one of only three New Zealand males to win a major title (joining Sir Bob Charles and Michael Campbell), Fox will hold a special place in the sports-mad and proud nation.
Perhaps now, instead of being recognised as the son of All Black Grant, it will be a case of Grant being the ‘father of Ryan’.
