Ryan Fox finished in a tie for 15th at the Houston Open last week. Photo / AFP
Ryan Fox finished in a tie for 15th at the Houston Open last week. Photo / AFP
From where Ryan Fox sits, rumours of friction in the final group at last week’s Houston Open have been greatly exaggerated.
It was an eventful final round at last week’s PGA Tour event; the Kiwi playing in the final group alongside Argentinian Alejandro Tosti and eventual winner,Australian Min Woo Lee.
There has been plenty made of the pace of play in the group during that final round, particularly on the eighth hole, which they took about 30 minutes to complete; part of that delay stemming from a long discussion around a potential drop between Lee and his caddie. Tosti was said to have taken issue with how long Lee took to make a decision, opting not to play it from his knees beneath a small tree and instead take a drop for a one-shot penalty.
That wasn’t the first thing Tosti was said to have taken issue over, with reports later suggesting he and Fox clashed as early as the first hole.
“I think it was overblown completely. There was something made of nothing,” Fox told the Herald.
“I asked him if he wanted me to go while he was taking a drop and I kind of didn’t get a reaction out of him, and I was like, okay, that’s fine, no issue.
“It probably looked like something, and it wasn’t. I was just trying to be courteous and give him some more time, and he was happy to go. There was no issue there.
Min Woo Lee stands with his caddie Brian "Bo" Martin and Ryan Fox on the 18th hole during the final round of the Houston Open. Lee won the tournament by a shot. Photo / Getty Images
“The other stuff I read about him slow playing stuff, I certainly didn’t see his interaction with the rules official on eight as well. It was one of those things when I read the stuff afterwards, I was like, okay, I didn’t realise there was so much being said about it or anything. I didn’t think there were any issues playing with him on Sunday.
“He’s renowned for being a bit hot-headed anyway, and there was certainly a couple of times where there was that, but he certainly didn’t put anyone off as far as I was concerned. He certainly wasn’t trying any gamesmanship or anything like that. It was kind of a big deal of pretty much nothing, from what I thought.”
Fox made a strong start to his round as he looked to claim his first PGA Tour title, but was shaken early by missing putts; his miss on a short birdie on the par-four fourth particularly unnerving. Starting the day in a tie for third at 12-under, he posted his only over-par round and finished in a tie for 15th at 11-under for the tournament.
He did, however, enjoy getting the opportunity to play alongside Lee as he won his first PGA Tour event; the Australian, ever the showman, using the aim point green reading technique over an eight-inch putt to win the tournament by a shot.
“He waited around on 18 a couple of years ago when I won [the BMW PGA Championship] at Wentworth. I played with him the first couple of days as well in that event. So, it was nice to be able to repay the favour a little bit. I think a familiar pairing probably helped both of us on that Sunday just feel comfortable,” Fox said.
Min Woo Lee and Ryan Fox celebrated after Fox won the BMW PGA Championship in 2023. Photo / Getty Images
“It was great to see him do it and that emotion come out on 18 when he knocked that putt up close.
“I was standing with his caddie when he’d marked it after I’d holed my putt, and he’s like, ‘Should I aim point this just for a laugh?’ I’m like, ‘absolutely, it’ll look funny’, and his caddie’s like, ‘yeah, definitely do it’.
“That went a bit viral on social media as well that he did that. [I’m] really chuffed for him and I hope he had a really good celebration on Sunday night. He deserved it.”
Fox, who began his ascent back up the world rankings with his best result on the PGA Tour so far, will look to continue that at the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio, which begins on Friday morning.
He said there was a chance the weather could again cause delays, with the Houston Open impacted by thunderstorms in the area, however, it was expected the wind would be down, which was great news as far as he was concerned.
“This golf course is renowned for being a bit of a beast and generally being quite windy. In that respect, it might be nice that the wind’s down a little bit.
“It’s beaten me up properly the last couple of years in the wind, and hopefully we don’t get too much this week as it’s forecast, and I can play a little bit better than I have done the last couple of years here.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
