Ryan Fox returns to action at the US Open this week in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Fox returns to action at the US Open this week in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images
The rising tide lifts all boats.
It’s an analogy commonly used in the sports business realm, and one Ryan Fox hopes will ring true in professional golf following the surprise announcement of a merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, whichowns the rebel tour LIV Golf.
While the PGA and DP World Tours were already affiliated, shockwaves were sent through the golfing world last week when they announced they would be linking up with the Saudis.
The PGA Tour and LIV have recently been in litigation, with LIV suing the PGA Tour alleging anti-competitive practices for banning its players, and the PGA Tour countersuing, claiming LIV was stifling competition.
With the lawsuits dropped, the PGA Tour are hoping to establish “a fair and objective process for any players who want to re-apply for membership with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour” following the end of the 2023 season.
Fox told the Herald the announcement came as a huge surprise, but he believed the merger would be good for the sport.
“Normally with what’s been going on in the last couple of years in the golf world, the rumours have been pretty rife. There were certainly no rumours of that happening last week,” the world No 41 said.
“It’s going to take a while to figure out what all of it means, to piece together what happens with the guys that went, how it all works, if it’s actually going to work, if there’s going to be any interference from the US government or anything like that in what’s going on.
“I think overall having a game that’s not divided anymore, and there’s going to be a fair bit more money in it — hopefully that’s going to be great for everyone in the industry and hopefully great for the fans as well.
“You’ll have everyone back playing together which will be nice and hopefully some big events going ahead in the next few years, and see what happens with this team format and everything like that. I have absolutely no idea how it’s going to work, but there’s a lot of people a lot smarter than me who are working pretty hard to figure that out.”
The US Open trophy at the ninth hole of the Los Angeles Country Club. Photo / AP
While that is all worked out in the background, golf’s top players will turn their attention to this week’s US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club — a course that has not been used often to host tournaments and will ask plenty of questions of the world’s best.
“The first big part is put it in a fairway. If you’re not in a fairway, I don’t think you can play this golf course very well at all,” Fox said.
“From there, you’ve got to give yourself uphill putts a lot of the time. There’s a lot of slope on these greens and if you’re above the hole, you’re going to be playing really, really defensively.
“And you’ve got to try to stay away from the bunkers at all costs as well. The bunkers themselves aren’t bad, but I’m sure a lot of people have seen photos of the rough around the bunkers, and that’s as bad as I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world.
“It’s really thick, it’s long, it’s patchy, and there’s definitely going to be some guys having nightmares in that this week.
“You’ve got to manage your game really well, and then try to take advantage of the few scoring opportunities you do get.”
