Fox Brilliantly Shakes “Monkey Off My Back” For Maiden PGA Tour Triumph.

5 months ago by Comments Off on Fox Brilliantly Shakes “Monkey Off My Back” For Maiden PGA Tour Triumph.

Ryan Fox is the toast of New Zealand golf after brilliantly shaking off what he described as a ‘monkey off my back’ in winning the PGAs ONE Flight Myrtle Beach Classic.

Fox’s decision to move his family the US has paid a $US 720,000 winning bonus after posting a superb closing round of 66 to finish tied for the lead on 15-under and then deny Canadian MacKenzie Hughes and American Harry Higgs the title with super chip-in birdie at the first extra play-off hole on the Dunes Golf and Beach club course.

Fox now joins fellow Kiwi golfer Steve Alker as a winner this year in the US with Alker having won the ninth Champions Tour title earlier this year at the Cologuard Classic.

And being Mothers Day in the US, Fox proudly celebrated with his wife Anneke Ryff and two young daughters.

“It’s Mother’s Day today,” he said the 38-year-old holding the 18th winners trophy of his career and a first since September 2023.

“So my wife sort of joked on Friday when I said, ‘What can I get you for Mother’s Day?’ And she goes, ‘Well, a trophy would be nice’. So I guess I lived up to my end of the bargain there.

“To have the wife and kids here is amazing.”

It was after capturing the DP World Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2023 that Fox and his wife made the decision to base themselves in the States rather than endure the relentless travel back and forward to New Zealand, and now their move has paid off.

“I haven’t transitioned probably as well as I would have liked over the PGA Tour,” said Fox.

“It was tough last year, I managed to just keep my card, and it’s been a scratchy start this year as well.

“I always, deep down, felt like I could compete with the guys out here, I just haven’t been able to put it together. And I was very happy to do it this week.

“In this game, you don’t get to win very often. You don’t get job security very often either,” he concluded.

“So it’s certainly nice to have that. And at the back of my mind, can feel like for the rest of the year, I can freewheel it a little bit. Hopefully that takes some pressure off.

“We’ll see how it goes in the next few weeks. But yeah, it’s feels like a monkey off my back, that’s for sure.”

Aside for the huge $NZ 1.723m first prize cheque, Fox has earned entry into this week’s PGA Championship just a short drive up Interstate I-95 to this week’s PGA Championship and also the bigger reward of a two-year PGA Tour exemption to the end of 2027.

And while delighted for Fox there’s one person – Shane Warne – and sadly no longer with us who will be smiling broadly.  Fox and Warney were partners when they celebrated capturing the 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

 



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