Wyndham Championship: Ryan Fox’s major reflections ahead of PGA Tour return

Unfortunately for Ryan Fox, there are no pictures on a scorecard.

A fortnight ago, the Kiwi golfer had his first missed cut at a major championship since 2022 when he found himself a shot beyond the cut line at The Open in Northern Ireland. That came after he finished in a tie for 65th at the Scottish Open the week prior.

But what his result at The Open alone doesn’t convey is how well his ball-striking was through the two rounds he played.

“I just got off to the worst start imaginable. I was five-over through six, but didn’t feel like I’d done a whole lot wrong,” Fox reflected.

“On the second day, I didn’t miss a golf shot, to be honest. I played great, drove the ball really well and just couldn’t buy a putt.”

Fox almost holed out for an eagle in his approach to the 18th to make the cut; the ball instead bounced over the hole. On another day, it might have caught the flag or the cup and dropped, but it ultimately saw Fox’s week end early.

But despite a missed cut, Fox left Royal Portrush feeling good about his game, saying his second round might have been one of his best ball-striking rounds of the year.

The 38-year-old will look to carry that over in his return to the United States this week, lining up in the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina – the final tournament before the PGA Tour playoffs.

“I liked this golf course last year when we played it, even though I missed the cut. I really like an old school golf course,” he said.

“You’ve got to shape the ball off the tee, it’s not that long, it’s small targets on the greens, and, other than the grass – it’s all Bermuda this week – it kind of reminds me of playing courses at home; the smaller targets, the tight tree line golf course, so I kind of enjoy that and I just wanted some reps under my belt before the playoffs.”

Fox goes into the week at No 31 in the FedEx Cup rankings, after a strong season that has seen him win two tournaments and five other top-20 finishes.

For the playoffs, the top 70 in the rankings qualify for the first week (FedEx St.Jude Championship), with the top 50 moving into the second week (BMW Championship) and the top 30 for the third (Tour Championship).

If Fox makes the Tour Championship, the final event of the season, there is big money at play with 30th place guaranteed US$550,000 ($931,400) and the winner taking home $25 million ($42.3m).

Fox goes into this week in North Carolina looking to shore up his game before those big tournaments ahead, learning from how he performed during his fortnight in Europe.

“I should definitely be in the first two, no problem. I think I struggled in the lead-up to the Scottish Open with two weeks off. I felt quite rusty, so I didn’t really want two weeks off going into the playoffs 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.