Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Ryan Fox, Garrick Higgo surge up leaderboard on final day to finish tied fourth

Only in golf can a seven-under round on one day not change your position in a tournament, but doing the same the next day can shoot you 23 spots up the leaderboard.

That was the case for Ryan Fox and his partner Garrick Higgo at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, as the pair backed up their strong third round with another bogey-free performance featuring seven birdies to leap from a seven-way tie for 27th at the end of day three to a tied fourth finish.

Major winners Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry teamed up to take the title with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

The format at TPC Louisiana reverted back to foursomes for the final round, with players taking alternate shots rather than each playing their own ball. Fox and Higgo were able to begin their round with back-to-back birdies which set them off with some momentum for the rest of the day

“It was great, compared to being 2-over through 3 instead of 2-under through 3 today, it was really nice,” said Fox.

The Kiwi-South African pairing said they were able to stay relaxed on the course with banter flowing between them and their caddies, also of New Zealand and South African stock, mentioning the friendly atmosphere as motivation to not be the one to let the team down.

“Yeah, I think just between both of us and our caddies, we had such a good time. We have a lot in common, so whether we were going to play good or not, we were going to have a good time regardless,” said Higgo.

That eventuated into a round where the pair made consistent birdies, including a stretch of three-consecutive on the back nine to see them climb rapidly up the leaderboard.

Fox said it was a cool experience having someone to cheer for on your team rather than focusing on solely your own game.

“It’s cool to play something like this. We get a lot of 72-hole individual stroke play events, and it’s nice to play with someone that adds to it - you feel under more pressure. You don’t want to let your teammate down.”

A top-five finish follows Fox’s decent showing at the recent US Masters where he finished in a tie for 38th. New Zealand’s top men’s golfer has had an up and down 2024 after his superb showing last year and said he hopes these two tournaments will be the kickstart he needs for the rest of the year.

“I played well the last couple of years, but it’s been a bit of a struggle the start of this year. I felt like I turned a corner at the Masters.

“I started to hit some good shots, and that carried over into this week, and I felt like I hit some really good shots coming down the stretch today when I maybe not have a chance to win but felt like we had a chance for a really good finish and hit some good shots, and that just helps build the confidence, and hopefully we can both take it into next week.”

Will Toogood is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has previously worked for Newstalk ZB’s digital team and at the Waiheke Gulf News, covering sports and events.