Fox among top 10 with big pay day
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox collected NZ$310,000 after a sixthequal finish at the Scottish Open to improve to ninth on the European Tour money list.
The 31-year-old carded a twounder-par 68 in the final round at the Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian yesterday.
He earned €179,365 to take his total season purse to NZ$2.6 million.
Fox, who was in a six-way tie for second overnight, had a mixed final round, recording four birdies but bogeying the fifth and 15th holes.
His finish lifted him further up the world rankings, from 87th to 84th. A month ago he was 132nd, but top-10 finishes in the Italian, Irish and Scottish Opens have seen him carve his way toward the golfing elite.
Fox finished on 14-under 266 with Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and American Rickie Fowler.
They were six shots behind the winner, Brandon Stone, of South Africa, who shot a 10-under 60 in the final round.
It was the 25-year-old’s third win on the European Tour.
Stone, who had eight birdies and an eagle, confirmed a place at this week’s British Open when Fox will also compete.
He became he 18th player to shoot 60 on the European Tour.
Stone could have been an outright record holder had he holed a seven-foot putt at the 18th. Had he made the shot, he would have been the first golfer in European Tour history to card a 59.
‘‘It’s incredible,’’ Stone told the European Tour website.
‘‘If I’m going to be brutally honest, I had no idea what my score was until I walked on to the 18th green.
‘‘It was just one of those days where everything went well, hit it great, holed some beautiful putts, and obviously to walk away with 60 having missed an eight-footer was a slight disappointment, but I won’t really complain.’’
Runner-up Eddie Pepperell (England) and Sweden’s Jens Dantorp also secured British Open berths.
Stone will now have to abandon a proposed whisky tasting tour of Scotland to line up against the game’s best players at Carnoustie.