Fox and Higgo get strategic
A change in format will see Ryan Fox take on more pressure in the second round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Fox and playing partner Garrick Higgo, of South Africa, made a strong start to the event, finishing the day nine-under-par in a tie for eighth. But the unusual structure of the teams event will bring strategy to the fore in the second round, as play switches to alternate shot (foursomes) after the opening round was contested in a best ball (four-ball) format.
That means rather than both golfers playing the hole through and taking the better of the two scores, they, instead, play every second shot and must tee off every second hole.
“I think it’s the opposite of [yesterday, when] you kind of take everything on, and [today] you’ve got to be a bit more circumspect and sort of hope one of you gets hot with the putter and he’s the guy that ends up putting a lot,” Fox said.
“We’ve got a good strategy, and hopefully it plays out well.”
Higgo explained that strategy, saying he would be teeing off on the even holes in the second round. That strategy would see Fox take on a little bit more of the pressure, as he tees off on three of the four par-threes.
“Foxy will have a few more parthrees, but he hits his irons a club further, so that’s already a positive,” Higgo said.
The pair made an ideal start yesterday. Starting on the back nine at TPC Louisiana, Fox and Higgo birdied their first three holes and went on to be sitting on four-under at the turn.
Their round kept trending in the right direction, with five more birdies — including on their final three holes — leaving them on nine under for the day. They dropped just one shot, carding a bogey on the par-three 17th.
They sat two shots off the pace, with the teams of Mark Hubbard and Ryan Brehm, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai and David Lipsky, and Ben Kohles and Patton Kizzire sharing the lead.
“I played nice the whole day,” Fox said. “[Garrick] struggled at the start but came right at the end, made a few birdies when it mattered.
“We said with sort of five or six holes to go, if we could get to nine [under par], we would be pretty happy, and we did that.”