 |
Sports correspondent & historian with |
New Zealand men’s golf wrote another special chapter in a history that dates back to the 1870s, on Sunday in the United States, when Ryan Fox won his first PGA Tour event at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina.
Fox joined just a handful of Kiwi professional golfers to win on the PGA Tour since (Sir) Bob Charles won on the world’s biggest golf stage 62 years ago.
The New Zealand golfer was at the top of the leader board on day one, before having a rollercoaster ride in round three, with nine birdies countered by six bogeys.
He entered the final day three shots off the pace and traded shots with the leaders all through his round, to shoot a three under par 69.
Mackenzie Hughes dropped a shot on the last hole to set up a sudden death three-way playoff between Fox, Hughes and Harry Higgs.
After a miracle chip from just off the green for a birdie three, Fox watched on as his two opponents both missed birdie putts, to gift him the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Fox became just the ninth Kiwi golfer to win a PGA title since Bob Charles won the 1963 Houston Open.
Just three months, later Charles would go on to be first of just two New Zealanders to win a Golf Major in triumphing in the (British) Open Championship
Charles has stood unchallenged at the top of the New Zealand golf Everest of achievement, with four further PGA titles and a remarkable 25 Senior PGA tournaments.
The other New Zealand professional golfers to win a PGA event have been John Lister (1976), Grant Waite (1993), Frank Nobilo (1997), Phil Tataurangi (2002), Craig Perks (2002), US Open winner Michael Campbell (2005) and Danny Lee (2015).
The Ryan Fox journey to his first PGA title has been one of steady progress since he left the amateur ranks 13 years ago.
His first breakthrough year came in 2014, with victory in the West Australian Open, following a second-place finish in the Queensland PGA event earlier in the year.
Progression to the second tier in Europe was followed by earning his card to play on the European Tour in 2017.
In February 2019, Ryan Fox won his first European Tour title becoming the first Kiwi to win on the European title race since Danny Lee in 2009.
Two years ago, Fox earned a temporary PGA tour card and has continued to play in America, with two fourth place finishes his best results before his Myrtle Beach win.
The victory secures Fox guaranteed PGA tournament starting spots.
He grabbed one of the two final places at the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina this week, as well as entry into the prestigious Memorial Tournament in late May which has a limited field and no cut, as well as other exemptions.
More importantly being a winner on tour he has locked in a PGA card for the next two seasons, which could open a pathway to joining Bob Charles and Michael Campbell as our country’s only Major Championship winners.