Top Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox tees-up in this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic happily enjoying early New Year bragging rights over the tournament’s defending champion and also reigning DP World Tour No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
Fox and McIlroy are teeing-up on the host Emirates course since they teed-up mid last month in New Zealand.
McIlroy labelled his golfing visit to New Zealand as ‘a trip of a lifetime’ when he travelled to the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ with good friend Jimmy Dunne, President of the ultra-private Seminole club in Florida and McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty.
The four played two famed New Zealand course to the north of Fox’s home in Auckland – Tara Iti and Te Ara.
“I’ve wanted to play Tara Iti golf club for many years and I finally had the chance to do it this week,” McIlroy said following the visit.
“It exceeded expectations and so did the beauty of New Zealand. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.”
While much was written of McIlroy’s visit no-one seem to have asked McIlroy who won the money – McIlroy and Dunne or their rivals Fox and O’Flaherty.
GolfByTourMiss put the question to Fox and with the soon-to-be 38-year-old clearly delighted to speak of his enormous delight in playing in the company of the present World No. 3 and revealing who won the outing and with Fox smiling broadly when revealing he was a member of the winning team.
“It was great to have Rory down in New Zealand as there was a massive buzz surrounding his presence”, said Fox.
“I was lucky enough to tee-up alongside him and I managed to win the four-ball match and Rors and Jimmy Dunne which was great, as apparently they don’t lose too often when they’re paired.
“So, I reckon it was a pretty good scalp (smiling)”.
The Auckland-born Fox revealed McIlroy had advised him he was intending to travel to New Zealand and that he had been wanting to play Tara Ati for so long.
“I know very well Jim Rohrstaff and the Managing Director at the club, so I mentioned this to Jim and he responded if can confirm Rory then we’ll set-up a game”, said Fox.
“There was a couple of fourballs set to play Tara Ati that particular day so Rory, Jimmy and my partner and myself joinng the group.
“It was all pretty cool in that relaxed environment, and also just great to be down there and playing such a great golf course. I had played with before in a few practice rounds at tournaments but there’s always people around wanting Rory’s attention, so it was just so different and so much fun just to go out and play in his company and, as I mentioned, always from that formal tournament atmosphere.
“We chatted all the way around the including Rory saying how much he had been looking forward to heading back to New Zealand for about a first occasion in some 15-years.
“We both have children that about the same age, so we spoke about that and so many other things. It was so just so cool.
“I bumped into him earlier this week and he said how much he enjoyed the visit and I replied indicating how much his visit had done for New Zealand golf”.
Fox heads into a 13th season in the professional ranks having contested 24 events on last year’s PGA Tour schedule capped with three top-10s and ending 106th on the FedEx Cup standings.
“I haven’t played in formal competition in 11 weeks as I was undertaking some rehab work on a hip injury while golfwise the focus for me is to get back playing on the PGA Tour though saying that, it’s good to be here in Dubai this week”, he said.
“The golf game feels pretty good. I also feel very fresh and hopefully I’m too rusty in teeing-up Thursday as I have played a decent amount of golf back home and with the hip holding-up to that pretty good.
“So, I will just take it as it comes this week.
“PGA Tour season-wise I am not into any of the elevated ‘Signature’ events but I can still play my way into those. Last year, I was chasing those events while also chasing events to keep my card, so I ended-up playing a lot more tournaments than I wanted to.
“So, I’ve learnt from that heading into this new season and I hope also that when I do play well that it will be good enough to qualify for the ‘Signature’ events while the good thing is that I now know well the golf courses I will be playing and that is going to help a lot.
“As well, we will have a base this year in Jupiter, Florida and that will be so much different for the family to be over in the States and not be travelling, living out of a suitcase”.