Ryan Fox finished in a tie for 20th at The Players Championship. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Fox finished in a tie for 20th at The Players Championship. Photo / Getty Images
American golfer JJ Spaun stood in disbelief as he watched his tee shot splash into the water on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.
In a three-hole playoff to decide The Players Championship against Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy on Monday and behind after one, it looked as though Spaun had hit it perfectly on the famed island green par three.
He wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“It was carnage out there. I kind of feel sorry for JJ Spaun. He played some great golf and hit a great shot in the playoff there on 17. I thought it looked really good but that’s just the nature of that hole,” Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox said.
Such was the nature of the beast at the unofficial fifth major of the PGA Tour calendar. But while the windy conditions got the better of some, Fox navigated his way to a season-best T20 finish at four-under for the tournament, picking up US$240,250 ($412,872).
It was a result that McIlroy foreshadowed after posting a one-over third round to sit four shots off the lead ahead of the final round when he noted he liked his chances if the weather stayed a bit wild.
It was a result that Fox was quick to congratulate McIlroy on pulling off.
“A lot of guys shot four or five-over or worse and completely played their way out of the tournament. Rory certainly didn’t have his best stuff on Saturday, but to limit the damage and shoot one-over, he kept himself in that tournament to give himself a chance on Sunday and he’s got the trophy now,” Fox said.
“He seems to be pretty good under the gun in those situations on hard golf courses. He hit all the shots he needed to down the stretch – had the putter worked a bit better for him, he probably wouldn’t have been in a playoff, but in the end it didn’t really matter for him.”
Rory McIlroy beat JJ Spaun in a three-hole playoff to win The Players Championship. Photo / AFP
For Fox, a return to the Players was a big step in the right direction after a tough start to his campaign with one made cut in three previous tournaments.
Of the 72 players to make the cut at TPC Sawgrass, only nine didn’t card an over-par round. Fox was one of those, which saw him continue his knack of performing at the big tournaments.
“That’s a nice stat to be a part of,” he said.
“There was still some scratchy stuff last week, but there were still some positive signs and when those conditions got tough on the weekend, I played some really good golf and probably let two really good scores slip on the weekend.
“Hopefully it’s something to build on after a tough couple of weeks before that; missing two cuts by a shot is always frustrating.”
Rory McIlroy and Ryan Fox shared a tee time during the 2024 BMW PGA Championship. Photo / Getty Images
It was a strong way to start a busy stretch, with this weekend’s Valspar Championship in Florida before back-to-back events in Texas over the following fortnight.
For Fox, it’s an opportunity to improve his position in the FedEx Cup standings, but a stretch that didn’t treat him too well in 2024 with two missed cuts and a T78 in what was a slow start to his campaign.
“I’ve just got to get rid of some of the bad,” he said of the weeks ahead.
“The good has been really good the last few weeks. Not just last week but the weeks before that. I’ve made plenty of birdies, hit a lot of really good shots, it’s just that I’ll go through a patch a round where I feel like I lose it and I’m hanging on for dear life. Thankfully, last week the short game and the putter worked quite nicely, and I limited the damage.
“I’ve just got to be a bit more consistent with stuff and not hit as many bad shots, which is easier said than done, but there’s enough good there to really turn in a good result.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
