Racing
League
Rugby
Football
Cricket
Golf
Sport Nation
Motorsport
Netball
Basketball
Combat Sports
Olympics
Other Sports
From world number one amateur to coaching Ryan Fox: Marcus Wheelhouse’s golf story
Sport Nation • October 29th, 2026 7:00 am
Ryan Fox holds the Claret Jug trophy with Marcus Wheelhouse | Photo: Photosport
When Ryan Fox stood on the brink of winning the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, his coach Marcus Wheelhouse had one simple message.
“Mate, just go out and play. The sun’s gonna rise tomorrow. We’re all gonna love you still. Just go out, and do it.”
Wheelhouse was in Fox’s corner for the nerve-racking final round, keeping things as familiar as possible. Fox was calm, he said, and free to trust the game that had carried him into the final group.
That game has always included a streak of aggression - something Wheelhouse has no intention of taking away.
“Foxy’s super power is his aggressiveness,” he said. “You never want to lose that desire.”
The pair have worked together for around 15 years, building a coaching relationship that takes Wheelhouse from New Zealand to tournaments around the world. He says they have found a rhythm, with visits every four to six weeks helping keep Fox on track.
Their first proper game together was at Wairakei. Wheelhouse remembers seeing the power and speed in Fox’s swing, along with a player who could recover from trouble without getting flustered.
“I saw a raw swing, but I saw plenty of speed. I saw a guy that was incredibly competitive.”
Wheelhouse knows the demands of the professional game from experience.
Marcus Wheelhouse during the 2008 Charles Tour Shirley Open | Photo: Photosport
He turned pro in January 1996, won Australasian Tour Rookie of the Year, then spent years trying to make it on the European Challenge Tour and elsewhere.
“The grind, it was tough,” he said.
By the time he finished playing, he had lost his love for golf. Coaching helped bring him back.
“When I finished golf, I didn’t really like it. I’d had enough. I had to find the love again for it, which I have.”
Long before the tours and the coaching, it began with a friend, a golf course and some balls they were not supposed to take.
Wheelhouse started playing in his early teens, collecting golf balls with his mate Patrick Schuster. They were eventually caught, and the junior convener gave them a choice: come up to the golf club, or their parents would hear about it.
That first nudge led to a rapid rise. Wheelhouse was playing Auckland juniors by 15 and selected for New Zealand at 16. He would go on to become the world’s number one amateur.
Looking back, he says the game has changed, but one thing remains constant: the need to find what works for the individual.
“Everybody’s got different functionalities and bodies and body types,” he said. “You’ve got to work out what works for you.”
Listen to the full feature interview below:
