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Ryan Fox on bubble of Presidents Cup selection following Canadian Open
Logan Swinkels • June 4th, 2024 1:15 pm
Ryan Fox at one point appeared to be heading towards a maiden PGA Tour victory at the Canadian Open, only for the opportunity to slip from his grasp and finish six shots back of Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre who won with 16-under par on the scorecard.
“It was certainly nice to be in the mix again, it’s been a little while since that’s happened,” Fox told SENZ’s Scotty and Izzy.
“It was close over the weekend, I hit a lot of good shots, just didn’t take advantage of it with the putter on Saturday, a little sloppy a couple of times on Sunday, and I can definitely see six shots out there finishing behind Bob (MacIntyre), but it was still a great week. I would’ve taken a top ten at the start of the week.”
A birdie-eagle-birdie run during the third round saw the Kiwi golfer take the lead at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, while eventual winner MacIntyre appeared to feel the pressure – only for their fortunes to switch on the back nine.
Fox holed three bogeys, while MacIntyre went on an incredible birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle run on the final four holes to set up a thrilling final day.
During the broadcast, commentators were quick to point out Fox’s pace of play compared to his counterparts on the PGA Tour.
“It’s worked for me (in) my whole career so far – I’ve always been quick at making decisions and I think if you looked at what happened in some of the events that I’ve won, I don’t think any has changed in that regard. I think the pace of play is still the same, it’s just me.
“I don’t feel like I made any silly decisions on Saturday, I just didn’t really get it going after those first holes.”
But not all golfers play at the same pace as the Kiwi, as seen during the fourth round when he was paired up with Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes.
At one point, the Hamilton local was also challenging for the lead before his charge started to become unstuck on the 9th hole – a wayward second shot saw him take a favourable drop away from an obstructing scoreboard, resulting in his second of four bogeys of the day, finishing tied for seventh alongside Fox and American Maverick McNealy.
During that final round, officials had warned the group that they were ‘on the clock’ for holding up play.
“It’s the first time it’s happened to me,” Fox said.
“Mackenzie said to the rules official straight up ‘it’s not on Ryan, it’s on me, this is my warning’ – so I think most guys understand how they play, and it was nice of him to say that, but I definitely don’t think there’s any gamesmanship in trying to slow down (play) and put people off.
“It’s hard enough out there without trying to mess with other people’s heads.”
Fox’s recent play has raised the question over whether the current World No. 58 would be selected for the 2024 Presidents Cup by international team captain Mike Weir – the 37-year-old revealed to SENZ that he is on the bubble.
“I’ve been part of the conversation since Mike was made captain. He came down to New Zealand, I played with him at Tara Iti at the beginning of last year and he’s been in contact ever since.
“I’m part of the WhatsApp (group) and been to a couple of the dinners, he’s been great at communicating. I’m probably on the outside looking in still, but last week probably helped me out a little bit.
“Hopefully I can continue the run of form and play my way into that team, I was disappointed to miss out a couple of years ago. It’s been a big goal to try tick off this year.”
In the 15 PGA Tour events played this season, Fox has made the top ten three times and missed nine cuts. He’s currently 97th on the points list for the FedEx Cup Playoffs with the top 70 eligible.
Listen to the full interview below:
