Fox in hunt for share of big prize
Ryan Fox just hopes the pesky sinus infection which has hindered him since last month has finally moved on.
He picked it up while in China for the WGC-HSBC Championship last month, far from ideal as he planned a late push in the Race to Dubai.
Fox is ranked 20th heading into the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, the 47th and final event in the season-long competition to crown the European Tour’s best player.
Only Ryder Cup partners Francesco Molinari (Italy) and Tommy Fleetwood (England) can win it, but Fox could at least grab a share of US$5 million (NZ$7.39m) if he can finish in the top-10. That would be in addition to any prizemoney from the Dubai tournament itself, which comes with a hefty €7,049,240 (NZ$11.7m) purse.
‘‘I guess a win would get me into the top 10. That’s been the goal the last six or eight weeks,’’ the 88th ranked golfer in the world said. ‘‘Unfortunately, it hasn’t panned out that way. But to at least consolidate the position, or move up a couple of spots into the top
20, would be nice.’’
Since he finished second in the Irish Open, and backed it up by finishing tied for sixth at the Scottish Open, in July, Fox hasn’t finished better than a share of 23rd. He’s coming off a disappointing performance at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa the past weekend, when he finished in a share of
50th. ‘‘It’s been a bit of a frustrating three weeks,’’ Fox said.
Meanwhile, Fox is in need of a new playing partner after Danny Lee’s withdrawal from next week’s World Cup of Golf in Australia.
Lee, who finished second at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico on Monday, has opted to spend time with his young family at his Texas home, two sources close to Lee told Stuff.
Lee and Fox finished in a share of 11th in the 2016 World Cup and, as the top-ranked Kiwi, Fox again chose the second-ranked Lee for the event at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Victoria. Just who replaces Lee has not yet been decided, but it’s understood Michael Hendry and Nick Voke are the frontrunners.
Fox, who is playing in the World Tour Championship in Dubai, is in the process of picking a replacement.
At the time teams were named, Hendry was the third-ranked Kiwi golfer. However, Voke, ranked 259th, has since surged past Hendry (366).