Fox sets new Open benchmark
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox produced a record-breaking back nine at the Open Championship to leap into contention for his first major triumph.
Fox birdied six of his last seven holes at the Royal Portrush course in Northern Ireland yesterday for a three-under-par round of 68.
That left him in a 13-way share of third place, two shots behind JB Holmes, of the United States, with Northern Irishman Shane Lowry tucked in behind the leader.
Fox’s back-nine score of 29 was the lowest score for an inward nine holes in the 148-year history of the prestigious tournament.
It came after he made three bogeys on the front nine to turn at three-over par. ‘‘That’s pretty cool,’’ Fox said.
‘‘I did actually ask my caddie: ‘Has anyone shot 29 for nine holes in a major?’ – I’m sure that’s happened – and he just said: ‘Shut up and just hole the putts’.’’
The son of rugby’s former All Black Grant – playing in his fourth Open – had missed the cut in his previous seven regular tour events.
‘‘To be honest I’ve been struggling lately and this is the first day it’s felt pretty decent, ball striking-wise.
‘‘I walked off the front nine pretty pissed off to be honest and then I holed an eight-footer for birdie on 12 and it relaxed me a little bit.
‘‘It’s the first time I’ve had fun on a golf course for a while and you don’t expect to do that but it was nice to just enjoy being part of such a great event.
‘‘I don’t think I quite got in the zone – I know that sounds strange but I’ve only been in it once or twice before when it gets to a point where you just see it and hit it.
‘‘But it certainly wasn’t like that. I don’t think this golf course lets you do that because you have to think about so many humps and hollows.’’
Host country hero Rory McIlroy, the favourite to win the Open, had a horror day, shooting an eight-over 79 which began with a quadruple bogey on the first hole.
Masters champion Tiger Woods also had a tough day to pip McIlroy by just one shot and both headline acts face a huge task to even make the second round cut.
Former Open champion David Duval hit the highest score on a hole in Open history, registering a 13 on the par-five seventh en route to an unflattering 20-over 91.
At the venue where he announced himself as a star of the future with a course record of 61 aged 16, McIlroy began with an eight and finished with a seven in a demoralising opening round.
At eight-over par McIlroy was 13 shots off the pace set by Holmes, whose
66 gave him a one-shot lead over Lowry, with world No 1 Brooks Koepka part of a
13-strong group which included Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and the English trio of Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood.
Australians Jason Day and Cameron Smith are also in the mix after both carded opening round 70s to be four shots off the pace.
Koepka finished second in the Masters in April, successfully defended his US PGA title the following month and was runner-up to Gary Woodland in the US Open at Pebble Beach in June.
No player in the modern era has placed in the top two in all four majors in a calendar year, but the 29-year-old made the most of the local knowledge of his caddie Ricky Elliott, who hails from Portrush, as he carded four birdies and one bogey in his 68.
‘‘Obviously he knows this golf course like the back of his hand,’’ Koepka said.
‘‘It’s fun. It’s easy when he’s just standing on the tee telling you to hit it in this spot and I just listen to him. I don’t have to think much.’’
Lowry’s 67 was his best opening round in any major and came after a pub pep talk with his coach Neil Manchip on Wednesday.
An understandably nervous McIlroy ran up a quadruple-bogey on the first after pulling his tee shot out of bounds on the 424-yard par four.
But after six straight pars he threeputted from five feet to double bogey the 16th and then ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 18th to complete a miserable day.
‘‘I’d be disappointed regardless, whether it was here or St Andrews or Birkdale or any of the other tournaments or majors,’’ McIlroy said.
‘‘So, yeah, I’m disappointed, but at the end of the day I’m still the same person.’’
Leaderboard
66: JB Holmes (US)
67: Shane Lowry (Northern Ireland)
68: Ryan Fox (NZ), Tyrrell Hatton (England), Tommy Fleetwood (England), Brooks Koepka (US), Lee Westwood (England), Tony Finau (US), Jon Rahm (Spain), Alex Noren (Sweden), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Webb Simpson (US), Dylan Frittelli (South Africa), Robert MacIntyre (Scotland), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand).
Also
78: Tiger Woods (US)
79: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)