The Open Championship: Ryan Fox takes stock ahead of final major of the year

Preparing for the final major championship of the year, Ryan Fox personified the old adage that time flies when you’re having fun.

It’s been a season that has raced by for the Kiwi golfer, who picked up his first win on the PGA Tour in May, added another in June, and has added to his consistent record in majors with two top-30 finishes.

Before this weekend’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, there was an added element of comfort for Fox as he qualified for the tournament well in advance.

It made a nice change from the PGA Championship and US Open, which he qualified for only the week before the events.

“I can’t believe it’s mid-July now, and I don’t have too many events left on the PGA Tour this year. It’s kind of crazy,” Fox told the Herald.

“I have played a lot of golf, but it feels like we’re just getting started as well and, all of a sudden, there’s no more majors left.

“I will say it’s been nice to prep for a major knowing I’m in the field in advance, compared to the last couple, so I’ve been able to take it a little easier and know what’s going on this week, which is good.

“But yeah, it’s crazy to think that this is the last major of the year.”

Coming into the Open Championship ranked at No 28 on the FedEx Cup (PGA Tour) standings and No 32 in the world, Fox is no longer flying under the radar. He’s one of two Kiwis in the field, alongside Daniel Hillier.

Fox finds himself the odd man out in his grouping for the first two rounds, because he will play alongside major championship winners Hideki Matsuyama (2021 Masters) and Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 US Open).

“I was excited to see that,” Fox said.

“I’ve actually played with both of them a few times now, which is cool. It’s nice to be in one of the bigger groups this week; obviously a couple of major champions, which is nice, and it looks like the tee times are decent enough for the potential forecast, so it’ll be a good couple of days.”

As is often the case with links golf, conditions are expected to play a big part in how the week unfolds, with Royal Portrush sitting exposed at the top of the country on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

There is at least some rain in the forecast for the week, which could hit the course as early as the first round.

“We don’t like [the weather] very much, especially if it was all the time, but for an Open, you can suck it up,” Fox said.

“I think we’ve got the whole compass forecast in terms of wind this week, and it’s a really good golf course. You’ve just got to play well to score, but there is a score out here.

“If they get the forecast wrong around here and it blows from a couple of certain directions, this golf course gets really hard really quickly. That’s the beauty of links golf; one day you can hit a lob wedge into a par four, and the next day you’ve got to hit four iron into the same hole. It can be a bit quirky like that.

“It’s one of those places that can really bare its teeth if it does decide to get nasty out there, which is, I think, kind of fun as well.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.