Ryan Fox finished 12-under-par at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship last week. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Fox finished 12-under-par at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship last week. Photo / Getty Images
In his final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic last week, Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox got an experience he had not had previously on tour.
Being called up to tee off, Fox heard himself introduced before the words “and also from New Zealand” as Daniel Hillier was called tothe tee.
As luck would have it, the two Kiwis were drawn to play alongside each other in that final round as they went into it nine under par. Fox posted three-under in his final round to finish in a tie for 11th, while Hillier’s round didn’t go quite so well.
“That was pretty cool to hear that,” Fox said of getting to play alongside his compatriot.
This season is Hillier’s debut on the DP World Tour, earning his card after finishing seventh on the overall Challenge Tour leaderboard last year.
The beginning of the new year has been a tough one for Hillier, however Fox had no doubts the tour rookie would soon find his footing.
“He’s got it,” Fox said of Hillier. “I think for him it’s just a bit of patience and a bit of learning how to manage his game and manage everything else around tour golf. He’s still young at this, and still learning.
“You can see he’s definitely not out of his depth out here. I’m sure he’ll put it all together this year, contend a couple of times and have no issues keeping his card.
“He’s got a long career ahead of him and if I can help out in any little way by some advice or mentoring him or anything, I’ll certainly endeavour to do that.”
Daniel Hillier is in his first season on the DP World Tour. Photo / Getty Images
The pair are in Singapore this week for the next stop on the tour, with Fox looking to continue his good form from Ras Al Khaimah.
Following a disrupted start to the year after picking up a stomach bug that had been doing the rounds, Fox settled into his work last weekend and, although still not feeling 100 per cent, he had his best performance of the year so far.
In Singapore, they take on what Fox deemed as a “funky” course, and are faced with the added test of adjusting to the humidity.
“It’s not a week to stand on the range and really try to find it,” Fox said.
“You know it’s going to be a long tough week. At this point it’s all about just making sure I’m there or thereabouts for Saturday and Sunday rather than trying to find it because I think it’s one of those weeks if you do spend a lot of time working out in the sun earlier in the week, you kind of ruin yourself later in the week.
“In terms of actually being out there, I don’t mind the heat too much. You go through a few more gloves than what you normally do, but it’s actually pretty good for any little niggles you have; generally the heat is actually pretty good for anything that’s sore. It kind of settles everything down pretty quickly and you can actually move relatively well.”
