Golf: Ryan Fox targets world's top 50 after breakthrough European Tour win

Ryan Fox celebrates the spoils of winning in Perth. Photo / Getty

New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has his eyes set on higher honours as he reflects on a breakthrough European Tour victory.

Fox's win at the World Super 6 event in Perth on Sunday has launched him up 19 places to 66th in the world rankings, putting him on the verge of gaining entry into some of the world's biggest tournaments.

The first such event looms at the end of March, with the World Golf Championships Matchplay in Texas offering the chance for the top 64 golfers in the world to compete for the title.

With there sure to be some absences due to injury and rest, Fox is a likely starter if he can maintain his good form for the next month, and if attending, he could be a chance to perform well, considering the matchplay skills he showed in Perth.

After playing well in strokeplay to qualify for the matchplay portion of the tournament, Fox then played bogey-free golf to vanquish four opponents on his way to his first European Tour title, and the first by a New Zealand male in 10 years.

Fox said his victory came about due to a helpful mix of skill and luck.

"I've always liked matchplay. I played a lot of matchplay as an amateur and generally played pretty well. Having not played it for about eight years, I knew at least I had some history there. I played some decent golf the whole week and it was nice to carry that into the matchplay as well," he told Jason Pine on Radio Sport.

"I had some decent luck — there were a few guys who missed putts to win holes, and I was very lucky in the first playoff — I think Jazz [Janewattananond] missed a four-footer to knock me out. It's nice to get that sort of luck and take advantage of it in the end."

Fox now prepares for next week's New Zealand Open, before taking time off for his wedding, and then playing at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.

His next goal is to make the top 50 in the world, which ensures automatic entry into events such as the Players Championship, the Masters and the Open Championship, though Fox is aware it might take a few months to realise that objective.

"There's an opportunity to get into that top 50 if I play really well — I'd probably have to win the New Zealand Open and Malaysia — but it's not as far away as it seemed earlier in the year. I've put myself in a good place and can hopefully kick on nicely from here."