Introduction
Ryan Fox (born 22 January 1987) is a New Zealand professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia.
Professional career
Fox turned professional in 2012 and played on the 2012 PGA Tour of Australasia. He had two 4th place finishes, in the New Zealand PGA Pro-Am Championship and the New South Wales PGA Championship. He was runner-up in the 2014 Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship and later in the year won the Western Australian Open. In early 2015, he had his second win on the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Queensland PGA Championship.
Fox was joint runner-up in the 2015 Maekyung Open in South Korea and later in the year began playing on the 2015 Challenge Tour, winning the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in July. He qualified for the 2015 Open Championship through final qualifying, made the cut and finished tied for 49th place.
Fox played on the 2016 Challenge Tour, winning the Tayto Northern Ireland Open as well as being twice a runner-up, and finished 4th in the Order of Merit, earning his card for the 2017 European Tour.
In 2017 Fox had a run of success in the important summer Rolex Series events, finishing 5th in the HNA Open de France and tied 4th in both the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. His finish in the Irish Open gained him an entry into the 2017 Open Championship, although he missed the cut. His run of form lifted him in the world top-100 and he received an entry to the 2017 PGA Championship when he finished tied for 54th.
Another timely run of Rolex Series form from late May 2018 resulted in a 43rd in the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club, an 8th in the Italian Open and subsequent qualification at Walton Heath for the 2018 U.S. Open the following day.
In February 2019, Fox won his first European Tour event, at the co-sanctioned ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, beating Adrián Otaegui 3 & 2 in the final. He was the first New Zealander to win on the European Tour in 10 years since Danny Lee.
Personal life
Fox is the son of former rugby union player Grant Fox, and grandson of cricketer Merv Wallace.
Professional wins (7)
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Feb 2019 | ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth | 3 & 2 | Adrián Otaegui | |
Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | Dubai Duty Free Irish Open | Russell Knox | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Oct 2014 | John Hughes/Nexus Risk Services WA Open Championship | –23 (64-66-68-67=265) | 6 strokes | Stephen Dartnall |
| 2 | 22 Feb 2015 | Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship | –17 (72-64-65-62=263) | 1 stroke | Matthew Millar, Cameron Smith |
| 3 | 17 Feb 2019 | ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth | 3 & 2 | Adrián Otaegui | |
Co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Jul 2015 | Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge | −14 (62-67-68-73=270) | 1 stroke | Thomas Linard |
| 2 | 31 Jul 2016 | Tayto Northern Ireland Open | −19 (66-68-69-62=265) | 4 strokes | Dominic Foos, Dylan Frittelli, Max Orrin, Bernd Ritthammer |
Other wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jun 2012 | Fiji Open | −15 (201) | 6 strokes | Nick Gillespie, Tomasi Tuivuna |
| 2 | 9 Jun 2013 | Fiji Open | −20 (268) | 9 strokes | Nick Gillespie |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| U.S. Open | T41 | |||
| The Open Championship | T49 | CUT | T39 | |
| PGA Championship | T54 | T27 |
| Tournament | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T16 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | T67 | T29 | ||
| Match Play | NT | |||
| Invitational | ||||
| Champions | T46 | T30 |
Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
NT = no tournament
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Nomura Cup (representing New Zealand): 2009, 2011
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing New Zealand): 2010
Professional
- World Cup (representing New Zealand): 2016, 2018