Golf: Ryan Fox within striking distance of French Open leaders

Ryan Fox from New Zealand during the New Zealand Golf Open. Photo/Photosport

Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox is sitting pretty in the French Open, as one of just 13 players to break par in Sunday's third round (NZT).

Fox bagged a one-under par 70 in Paris to secure an overall score of three-under par, and push him up 12 places to equal 16th.

He is just five shots behind leaders Alexander Bjork and Peter Uihlein, from Sweden and the United States respectively.

The 30-year-old struggled to find his groove early on, hitting two front-nine bogeys, but bounced back in style at Le Golf National with three back-nine birdies to rocket up the leaderboard.

It follows on from excellent second-round work on the French fairways, as Fox nabbed a four-under par 67 after a difficult opening day.

He'll have the chance to make an unlikely title tilt in Monday's final round (NZT), in his first full season in European competition.

Fox, a Kiwi Olympian and the son of former All Blacks playmaker Grant Fox, finished equal 26th in last weekend's tour event in Munich.

Fox's results in Munich also co-incided with strong form from other Kiwis, as Danny Lee nabbed equal third in the Travellers Championship in Connecticut.

This week, the Korean-born Lee is tied for 18th in the Quicken Loans National in Maryland, sitting even overall after a two-over par 72 third-round effort.

-AAP