The Fantastic Mr. Fox

By Scott MacLean

If you’re anything like me today, you’ll be running on very little and a fair bit of adrenaline if you got up at stupid o’clock to watch the final round of The Open Championship. In my case, it’s not often that someone you’ve actually played a bit of golf with is in contention at a Major championship.

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I first met Ryan Fox at the Waikato Winter Strokeplay back in probably 2004, played in often “cool” conditions in early August at the then-Lochiel Golf Club just outside Hamilton (it’s now the Tieke Golf Estate). Given its location, it attracted plenty of the best amateurs from across the upper North Island and Fox, naturally, attracted some attention given who his Dad is. Ryan was built like a tank then and could certainly give it a hit though not always where intended, perhaps not unexpected of someone who’d come to the game later than most of the rest of us. Our paths would cross several more times before he took the plunge and turned pro.

Despite wins across the globe including two on the PGA Tour last season, success in the four Majors had eluded him with a best finish of 16th in the Open in 2019. And after a two-over par 72 on Royal Birkdale’s baked out layout in Thursday’s first round it seemed the same old story. But a two-under 68 on Friday put him inside the cut line and onto the weekend.

Out early on Saturday, he thrust himself into contention, firing nine birdies in an 8-under 62 that tied the mark for lowest score in major championship history and matching the score shot on Friday by American Sam Burns and Australian Lucas Herbert. His 8-under total stood high on the leaderboard for most of the afternoon before Burns went past him late on. Still, as the first player in at -8, he’d be off in the last group, the first Kiwi man to do so since Michael Campbell held the 54-hole lead at St Andrews in 1995.

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One of the hardest things to do in golf is follow-up one great round with another. I’d be lying if I said that given that, and Fox’s own unfamiliarity with the position he was in, that I expected much of him.  But he was far from alone, most of the leaderboard were searching for their first Major and you had to go down to the name of Bryson DeChambeau – who had his own moment of controversy on Friday – to find someone who had. Most of the money seemed on Burns, an accomplished player and PGA Tour winner in his own right.

Fox though would come out of the gate I the best possible way with a birdie at the first, but really settled his nerves with an outstanding par save at the third. In contrast to when Campbell won the US Open at Pinehurst however, contenders emerged from out of the pack in the baked, breezy conditions. Leading that charge was American Cameron Young with the Players Championship winner on his own hot round, but World #1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Korean Si-Woo Kim, and local hero Tommy Fleetwood made moves of their own.

Fox seemed unfazed, reeling off a string of pars while Burns faltered. But he would drop shots at both the 9 th and 11 th as Young finished after a final hole bogey to post 9-under in the clubhouse.

Then came a stretch of golf that Fox will dine out on forever. A birdie at the long par-4 13th was followed by another at the par-5 14 th to draw level with Young. But the golf gods move in mysterious ways and they thought they’d throw in one last test; his tee shot at the par-3 15 th wound up in nasty spot in a greenside bunker and all he could do was play backwards. In the circumstances, it would be the finest bogey he’ll ever make. That test met, he rolled in a 15-footer at the 16th for birdie before narrowly missing another at the 17 th after finding a fairway bunker off the tee.

So he stood on the 18th tee; birdie to win, par to force a playoff with Young. With the wind whipping off the left and where several others had missed their tee shots right Fox absolutely crushed his, skipping on the fairway past the bunker Young had found earlier. His second came to rest 12 feet from the hole and after Burns’ long-range effort to tie had missed Fox stepped up with the chance kids dream of growing up; a putt to win The Open.

And he did. Perfect pace. Centre cup. And a release of emotion at both the course and across this country.

Then came the formalities, but not before a call to his wife Anneke and their two daughters at home in Florida – one of who adoringly asked “how big is the trophy” – and a second to parents Grant and Adele in Auckland, before instructing his caddy to find the “biggest bottle of red” he could.

And finally, the presentation of the oldest prize in the game, the famous Claret Jug, and to hear the words “The Champion Golfer of the Year”.

It all made the very early start totally worth it. Onya Foxy!

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