Golf: Ryan Fox earns remarkable victory at Northern Ireland Open

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox is pressing his case for an Olympic place. Photo / Mike Scott

Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox has fired a remarkable nine-under 62 to surge to victory in the European Challenge Tour's Northern Ireland Open.

Staring the day one 10-under, three shots off the lead, Fox completed a four-shot victory on 19-under par to cap off his preparations for the Rio Olympics.

Fox had an eagle, nine birdies and two bogeys in his round to finish well clear of four platers at 15-under. He earns around $50,000 for his win.

"To be honest, I played exactly how I played all week," said Fox. "But I got really hot with the putter. I played solid from tee to green the whole week, and today I left myself a lot of makeable putts.

"It got hot and it was nice to keep seeing the ball go in. I thought I was flirting with the magical number for a while, but a three-putt on 16 didn't help that.

"My start was a bit better than Saturday; I was one over after those two holes. I holed a nice putt on the first and I was perfect on the last on the green. Yesterday, I went too far right, but I hit a great shot today and rolled in a nice putt from eight or nine feet."

Fox said he could not have asked for better preparation for the Rio Olympics.

"I couldn't have played any better and it's nice to go into the Olympics with some form," he said. "It's always a good feeling to win.

"It's hard to get your first win and sometimes it seems harder to keep doing it. It's great to be a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour and build on the experience I had last year.

"It'll be great in Rio, I'm looking forward to being part of the New Zealand team; we don't get the opportunity very often in golf."