Ryan Fox sits second on the DP World Tour standings. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Fox sits second on the DP World Tour standings. Photo / Getty Images
Ryan Fox has hardly swung his golf clubs in the past two weeks, with rest and mental preparation the key for his final push to try to overtake world No 1 Rory McIlroy and claim the prestigious DP World Tour’s Order of Merit title.
The world No 26 has 3246points and is second on the Tour standings, just ahead of England’s US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick (3155.5). But the 35-year-old Kiwi knows it would take something special to catch the Northern Irishman, who leads with 4154 points.
However, he has a chance to close the gap this week with a big performance at the Nedbank Challenge at Sun City in South Africa. Neither McIlroy and Fitzpatrick are playing the event at the Gary Player Country Club, which carries a purse of US$6m ($10.1m) and features a 66-strong field with no cut.
Fox realises it’s a chance to eat into McIlroy’s points lead if he can master a course known as the ‘graveyard’ among players, and one he has struggled with in the past — finishing 57th on nine-over the last time he played there in 2019 — primarily due to the altitude where the ball flies further than normal.
The DP World Tour Championship next week carries a US$10m ($16.7m) purse and enough ranking points that if Fox wins, he would claim the Order of Merit title ahead of McIlroy.
“Rather than having to worry about Rory playing well, it’s a nice position to be in that if I win, I can potentially win the rankings,” Fox told the Herald.
“It’s going to be really hard. There’s a lot of good players playing next week, but certainly not a position that I expected to be in at the start of the year.“
Fox’s immediate focus is playing well in South Africa on a course where he has not fared well in the past.
“It’s one of those courses where there is altitude, the wind swirls, it’s hot, and I’ve just never figured out altitude before.
“I’ve always struggled a little bit in South Africa. But it’s a great place to come to and I feel like I’m a lot better player than last time I was here.
“I’ve got nothing to lose this week, it’s a guaranteed four rounds and most of the guys around me on the Order of Merit aren’t playing.”
Ryan Fox is one of the longest hitters on tour. Photo / Photosport
Fox, who is one of the longest hitters in the game, needs to adjust his club selection, with the ball playing about 5-6 per cent longer at altitude.
“With the wind swirling all over the place, you can hit a shot that feels downwind and when you get up to the green it’s into the wind and you can be out by 15 or 20 yards. This place is known as the caddie graveyard, a few partnerships end after this week. It’s just a nightmare to get right, you are not going to get everything right and patience is pretty key around here.”
The Kiwi is in a trio alongside England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Poland’s Adrian Meronk and tees off at 9.50pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lydia Ko resumes her quest to top the LPGA Tour’s Race to the CME Globe title with just two tournaments remaining in the season. Ko is in Belleair in Florida this week for the Pelican Women’s Championship which carries a purse of US$2m ($3.4m).
The New Zealander is just one point ahead of Aussie Minjee Lee at the top of the standings, 150 to 149, with Canadian Brooke Henderson and Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul tied for third on 130 points.
The only other players in with a mathematical chance of winning the Rolex Player of the Year award are Korean In Ghee Chun (96 points) and American Jennifer Kupcho (95). Ko can clinch the title if she wins this week.
The season finale is next week’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples in Florida which carries a purse of US$7m ($11.7m).
