Fox hits fantastic ace but for a par

When is a hole in one not a hole in one?

When you’ve fired your tee shot into a gorse bush, as Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox did early in his final round in the Scottish Open, on the way to a creditable fourth-equal finish.

Fox produced a rare ace on the 169-yard sixth hole at Dundonald Links with his provisional ball, which meant he wrote a three on his scorecard.

The perfect shot was still well worthy of celebration as a beaming Fox high-fived his caddy and playing partner on the walk to the green.

‘‘I followed probably the worst shot I’ve hit as a pro with probably the best shot I’ve hit as a pro,’’ Fox said.

‘‘I can’t lie, I hit the first one straight out of the hosel [socket of the club head] and straight in the bushes and re-teed it with a wedge and hit a perfect shot. I was just happy to see it somewhere near the green, it dropped in and it limits the damage.’’

Fox was relieved no one found his first ball, which would have meant he had to play it and the hole in one wouldn’t count. ’’I don’t think anyone saw it, thankfully, I think it landed in a nice big gorse bush.’’

He had reason to smile after his fourth-equal finish in the European Tour event yesterday, his final leadup to this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Fox’s confidence will be strong after his final round of twounder-par 70 left him eight-under for the tournament, five shots off co-leaders Rafa Cabrera Bello and Callum Shinkwin. Cabrera Bello won in a playoff.

The New Zealander was in lofty company in fourth spot, tied with former Open champion Padraig Harrington, American Matt Kuchar, Englishman Anthony Wall and Australian Andrew Dodt.

Fox jumped into contention with a third-round 69 lifting him into a tie for fifth. The 30-year-old hit five birdies and three bogeys in the final round, confirming his third consecutive top-10 finish on the European Tour.

Meanwhile, Lydia Ko finished well off the pace in a share for 33rd as South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park won the US Women’s Open for her first LPGA Tour victory.

The Kiwi golfer wrapped up another disappointing tournament by carding a two-over round of 74 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey yesterday, to tumble a further 10 places on the leaderboard.

Ko bogeyed holes six, nine and 10 and hit one birdie on hole 15.

Park, a 23-year-old, shot her second straight five-under 67 and won a long-day battle with frontrunning Shanshan Feng and teenager amateur Hye-jin Choi.

Park, who birdied the 15th to move into a tie for the lead and the 17th to open a two-shot edge, finished at 11-under for a two-stroke win over Choi.