📰 Ryan Fox chips in to claim maiden PGA Tour win

By Christopher Reive

Ryan Fox is a PGA Tour winner.

Finishing the Myrtle Beach Classic at 15-under and in a three-way playoff to decide the tournament, Fox chipped in from the edge of the green - about 54ft (16m) from the hole - to secure his first win on the tour, a $1.2 million pay day, his tour card for the next two years and an invitation to next week’s PGA Championship.

And he got the job done having left himself plenty of work to do.

In a playoff against Mackenzie Hughes and Harry Higgs, Fox started the 18th hole for the fifth time with a drive that went a shade too far to the left and sat in the rough to leave him plenty of work to do.

Hughes sprayed his drive further left, but got an incredibly fortunate kick off the trees to land on the fairway, while Higgs laced his drive down the middle.

Fox put his second shot off the edge of the back of the green, but his chip looked good as soon as it left his club.

Fox watched it all the way, throwing his arm up in celebration as the ball fell into the cup.

That put the pressure on Higgs and Hughes, who both missed putts for birdie to hand Fox the title. It’s the first time a Kiwi has won on the PGA Tour since 2015, when Danny Lee won the Greenbrier Classic.

It was a return to form at a venue that Fox has excelled at on the PGA Tour. Last year’s tournament in Myrtle Beach was the catalyst in his turning his year around as he bagged a T4 finish at 15-under-par.

Early indications were that Fox would again be a contender when it came to the final day as he set the tone with a six-under-par opening round – getting around without dropping a shot.

Mixing form through his second and third rounds – the latter featuring six bogeys and nine birdies – Fox went into the final round in a tie for fourth and three shots off the lead.

Chasing his first PGA Tour title, Fox was one-under through nine holes, still three shots back and in a share of ninth.

His charge towards the top of the leaderboard began when he drove the green at the par-four 10th and his attempt at eagle pulled up just short of the hole, though the birdie moved him one shot closer.

He picked up another shot at the par-five 13th to move two off the lead, which quickly became just one back when co-leaders Harry Higgs and Mackenzie Hughes both bogeyed the same hole.

That left a three-way tie at 14-under between Higgs, Hughes and Kevin Yu. Fox joined them with a birdie on the par five 15th, before he, Hughes and Higgs moved to 15-under soon after – Fox confidently sinking a seven-foot putt on the par-three 17th.

Spraying his tee shot on 18 into the right rough, Fox did well to scramble for par to finish five-under for the day, leaving a nervous wait as Hughes had pulled a shot ahead.

That left a nervous wait for the Kiwi with Higgs (-15) and Hughes (-16) still to play 18, but after Hughes put his tee shot into the trees to the left, things started to look up for Fox.

It went how he needed it to; Higgs with a par and Hughes with a bogey to force a three-way playoff.

That gave Fox his opportunity, and true to his form from the week, he rode the rollercoaster to the win.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.