Fox undone by monster putts
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox came agonisingly close to winning his maiden European Tour title at the Irish Open, but still walked away with a handy consolation prize.
Fox lost in a dramatic playoff to Scotland’s Russell Knox who rolled in almost identical birdie putts from about 40 feet on the 72nd hole and the first playoff hole to win his second tour title yesterday.
The second-place finish qualified the
31-year-old Kiwi for the next major, the Open Championship at Carnoustie on July
19-22, and he also pocketed a career-best payday of €665,614 (NZ$1.14 million).
‘‘I heard Russ holed a big one on 18 to get in the playoff and he obviously holed a massive one in the playoff as well,’’ Fox said. ‘‘I hit two great putts on 18 and one grazed the edge and one came back at me.’’
After Knox made birdie on the 18th to set the clubhouse target at 14-under par, Fox narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt that would have won him the Rolex Series event at Ballyliffin Golf Club in Donegal.
They went back down the 18th hole for the playoff and Knox pitched from 120 metres to virtually the same spot on the green. His long birdie putt curled left to right and into the cup.
Fox failed to match the birdie, his putt lipping out, and Knox put his hands to his face.
‘‘I’m happy,’’ Fox said. ‘‘I hit the shots I wanted to down the stretch, I felt comfortable out there and it was close.’’
Fox acknowledged that this time of the year on the European Tour clearly suits his game as he finds a rich vein of form for the second year in a row.
‘‘I love the challenge of links golf. I love having to hit the little bump-and-runs from
70 yards like I had on 18 a couple of times,’’ he said. ‘‘I can’t tell what it is. I guess Ireland and Scotland feel a little bit like home as well. I’m happy, and it’s a bloody nice consolation to get into the Open Championship.’’
Fox said the theory all week had been to back his driver and he had responded by hitting some of the biggest distances off the tee.
He had one eagle (on the par-five fourth), two bogeys and four birdies (all on his back nine) during his closing round of four-under 68.
‘‘There’s a lot of bunkers I can carry, and thankfully driver has been working all week. I gave myself plenty of chances and had one putt been an inch either way I’d still be out there now or even with the trophy in my hands.’’
Knox, who shot a six-under 66 in his final round, was ecstatic to snatch a Rolex Series victory to add to his WGC-HSBC Champions crown from 2015 and continue his fine form after finishing in a tie for second at last week’s French Open.
‘‘Tough to describe how amazing this feels,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s why I play golf – all the practice days, all the misses, all the bad moments, all are taken care of with putts like that . . . Making two of them from almost identical positions. I mean, that’s a bit of a bonus. Unbelievable.’’
Knox started the day six shots off the lead and nailed the biggest comeback in tournament history to go one better than his second placing in this event in 2016.
The Scotsman is set to climb into the world’s top 50, having tied for second place at the French Open last week, and is fifth in the Race to Dubai. He has boosted his chances of making Europe’s Ryder Cup team for the match against the United States in France in September.
‘‘To make the Ryder Cup team, you have to win tournaments,’’ Knox said. ‘‘This is a heck of a start but I feel I have more to go.’’
Jorge Campillo (65) finished in third place, a shot further back, and defending champion Jon Rahm was in a share of fourth after a 66.
Rory McIlroy shot 71 and was twounder overall.