Golf: Ryan Fox claims career-best finish on European Tour

Ryan Fox holes his birdie putt on the final hole. Photo / Getty

Ryan Fox has claimed his best result on the European Tour, finishing in a tie for third at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.

The 31-year-old New Zealander carded a final round six-under 66 to finish at 18-under, three shots behind India's Shubhankar Sharma, who blew everyone away with a remarkable final round 62 to win by two shots.

Sharma's 10-under round saw him storm to victory after starting the day in a share of 19th, with the 21-year-old rising star claiming his second European Tour title in the past two months.

He was the only player to pass Fox, who rose from a tie for ninth to impressively conclude a consistent week on the Saujana course, which burst him out of a relative slump.

Fox hadn't claimed a top 25 finish on the European Tour since September, but today's finish eclipsed his career best mark; having previously finished in a tie for fourth on two occasions.

After starting his third round with an albatross, Fox again started strongly in his final round, carding an eagle on the par-five opening hole.

A bogey quickly followed, but Fox rebounded with three birdies to make the turn at four-under. After dropping a shot on the par-four tenth, he then finished with aplomb, firing birdies on three of the last four holes.

That closing run secured third spot, finishing level with Pablo Larrazabal, and a shot behind third-round leader Jorge Campillo, who birdied the final two holes to bump Fox out of second place.

The result earns Fox NZ$231,000, and will see him rise from his current position of 126th in the world rankings, with his career-high ranking of 95 potentially soon to be under threat.

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