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He’s on top of the golf world, and down-to-earth Kiwi champion Ryan Fox remains proud his Beachlands/Whitford roots, reports PJ TAYLOR in a special Times sports feature.
Many Aucklanders have taken a drink from one of sport’s oldest and most prestigious trophies this week, as Ryan Fox has wanted to share his success of winning golf’s The Open major championship at Royal Birkdale in England earlier this month.
Fox and his family arrived back in New Zealand last Friday and last weekend there were family dinners and get-togethers with close friends, a chance to celebrate the famous victory and to take a sip from the famed Claret Jug, the prize for claiming the Champion Golfer of the Year title.
“It’s been great,” Fox said at a media conference on Tuesday at one of his home golf clubs, Royal Auckland and Grange in Papatoetoe.
“My kids played with their cousins. It was great to see them have a lot of fun, and then we opened a few nice bottles of wine at both dinners and just talked and celebrated it.
“On Sunday night, we had 50-odd close friends and family, and it was a proper night. We booked it [the venue] from 4pm to 8pm, and we left at 2am in the morning.
“It was a good night. I ruined a lot of Mondays, which I was more than happy with, including my own.”
On Monday, Fox caught up with the All Blacks squad that had just been named for their upcoming tour of South Africa.
“They were nice enough last year to invite me to Eden Park. I got to drink out of the Bledisloe Cup after they won it at Eden Park, so I decided it would only be fitting to pour some beers in it [Claret Jug].
“I did forget early on that when you pour beer it fizzes everywhere. I got a little excited early, and it overflowed with the froth. The boys were really excited, but no one went crazy.
“They’ve got a pretty big job to do. It was cool to be a part of that. Obviously with my family history, the All Blacks is a huge thing.
“I’m still a massive rugby fan, and to go there and be able to chat to them socially was really cool. I’ll be following them intently over the next few weeks.”
Fox talked of his pride at being able to show the coveted trophy at Royal Auckland and Grange.
“Coming back here, I’ve been a member for 23 years. I used to jump the fence, actually go through the bushes and play golf here while I was at school, during school hours as well.
“That brings back good memories. My whole golf career basically started here. Being able to come back with the Claret Jug and be able to celebrate it is pretty special.
“[His coach] Marcus [Wheelhouse] is here. I spend a lot of time at Royal Auckland Grange when I’m home. I know a lot of the members and get a lot of messages from them while I’m overseas, whether I’ve played good, bad or indifferent.”
At the media conference, the Times asked asked Fox what does the Beachlands area and Whitford Park Golf Club mean to him?
“Whitford Park was the first place I joined as a kid, about 12 or 13 when I first became a member,” he said.
“Mum and Dad live out at Beachlands. I was in Beachlands since I was seven. I went to Beachlands Primary School and played at Beachlands Maraetai Rugby Club, and I still go out there a lot.
“It means a lot to say I was from Beachlands growing up. I really enjoyed fishing off the rocks there and all of that kind of stuff that came with living by a beach in a little beachside town. It’s certainly got a lot bigger since when we first went out there.
“I’ve got really fond memories of it, really fond memories of Whitford Park and growing up and practicing and playing and sort of learning what golf was all about out there.”
For two usually articulate sportsmen, it was surprising to hear he and his Rugby World Cup winning Dad, All Blacks legend Grant Fox, were a little lost for words after Ryan won The Open Championship.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I know we spoke on the phone, and that was captured right after [the victory]. I have no idea. It’s all a blur. I know he was very proud and maybe Dad was a little lost for words as well, which is kind of rare for Dad.
“It was pretty cool going out there on Saturday and taking the Claret Jug. My eight-year-old nephew asked, ‘can I drink out of it?’ And I’m like, ‘yep, that’s fine’. The only thing we could think of is put water in it.
“So, my sister’s got a nice video of her son drinking water out of the Claret Jug. That was cool to be able to share all of that with the family out there and in Beachlands where I grew up.”
After last weekend’s festivities, Fox was on public appearances on Tuesday, starting first thing at Royal Auckland Grange.
“To come out here and see everyone buzzing that I got the Claret Jug out and wanting photos, it’s really cool. That’s going to be a bit of my life going forward.
“It’s going to be very different in the United States as well,” Fox said, of where he’s based in Florida and playing on the PGA Tour.
“That’s going to take a bit to get used to. It’s a whole different league winning a major. My life is going to change, and I’m just going to have to get used to all of this and the extra attention.
“But this is also what I dreamed of wanting to be able to do. I’ve done it, and if I can’t live with the consequences of that, it probably shouldn’t have been a dream in the first place.”
Fox, with a reputation of being one of world golf’s good guys, has been widely applauded for the way he attacked the last hole of The Open to birdie the last hole with a 12-foot putt to win his first major.
“I don’t know how it happened. I know what my thought process was in doing it. I wanted to be brave and take it on. I was happy to live with the consequences if it didn’t happen.
“To finish like that and not just the 18th, but those last six holes, to go out and actually win it.
“When that sinks in, and I can reflect on that at the end of my career, regardless of what happens for the rest of my golf career, I can be incredibly proud of that finish and those last six holes.
“I don’t know why my thinking was so clear about it. I just looked at my caddie Dean [Smith] and said, ‘I’m going to take this on, and I’ll live with the consequences’. He backed me and said, ‘no problem’.”
His coach, Royal Auckland Grange-based Wheelhouse says The Open experience has “been a total roller-coaster – unbelievable”.
“Starting to reflect a little bit now, the scale of what’s happened. I think we probably haven’t quite realised. It’s just great to see. There are so many positive things around golf in New Zealand, it’s just great to be part of it.
“Saturday [at The Open] was amazing when Foxy shot 62, and that just seemed to get that belief. It was crazy. Foxy’s always been a links player, so it’s so cool that he’s won The Open.
“I’m incredibly proud to be sitting here. We’ve been together for a long time. It’s cool just to see what happened,” Wheelhouse said.
Fox has also drawn praise from golf people frustrated with slow play in pro tournaments.
“I was surprised at how positive it all was. Anytime I looked at social media, it was all me, and it was all positive. I unintentionally became the face of the pace-of-play brigade.
“I’m happy I did it my way down the stretch. I didn’t change anything, and I think that’s really important. I’ve always played that way and kept the same routine when it mattered the most.
“It’s going to be interesting going back to the States. I was able to fly under the radar for the most part. It’s going to be interesting to see what the reception is going back to tournament golf there.
“Golf is hard. The execution of it’s hard, and I also understand why decision making can be hard under those pressures. It’s just not how my brain works, though.
“My brain is like, okay, that’s a shot I’m going to hit. This is a club I’m going to hit, and just like the shot comes quick, the decision comes quick, regardless of the situation. It’s just easier to be decisive and pick a club.”
Fox said he understands why some pro golfers are slower than others.
“You’re playing for a lot of money, a lot of points, a lot to get into everything. It’s stressful. I don’t have an issue with people taking the time to do it. My only pet peeve, as I said, is people not being ready when it’s their turn.
“That putt I hit on 18. Everyone said it was 22 seconds from when Sam [Burns] picks the ball out of the hole to when I hit my putt. I’d done all my work well before Sam hit his putt.
“I knew what way the ball was going to go. I’m always ready to go. There’d be less of an issue on tour if everyone had that same mentality.
“Growing up, I was just excited to hit it and wanted to hit it quick. Standing round waiting is the worst part for me.
“I can’t believe how positive it’s all been,” Fox explained of the reaction he’s received for his triumph at Royal Birkdale.
“I just try to be me the whole time. So many people have said such nice things. I’ve always found it pretty easy to get along with people. I’ve got made some good friends on the PGA Tour.
“To hear them all say that is very humbling. I’m just amazed at the reception and how positive it’s all been.
“The money is a nice little bonus, but it’s not what you do it for. I could have got paid nothing to be sitting here with this jug, and I’d still be as happy as I am now.”
He’s also delighted with the responses he’s had from New Zealand’s other major golf championship winners, Sir Bob Charles, Dame Lydia Ko, and Michael Campbell.
Straight after his victory, Fox said: “Someone goes, ‘I’ve got someone who wants to talk to you’ and puts the phone in my face to see her [Dame Lydia], and she was quite emotional, which was unbelievable.
“I’ve known Lyds since she was probably 12 years old. We played a lot of golf together. I followed her career intently. It’s amazing to see her achieve what we all thought she could.
“I haven’t spoken to Sir Bob, but I got a really nice message from him. Same with Cambo.
“Obviously, I spoke to Lyds on the phone. I’ve had so many messages from so many people in different walks of life, Kiwis and internationally, the response has just been so amazing, overwhelming more than anything.”
Fox said he hasn’t sat down properly and read all the names engraved on the Claret Jug.
“I’ve looked through various sections of it. Found Sir Bob’s name on it from 1963. The oldest one I can find is Old Tom Morris, 1867, which pretty cool.
“The whole history of golf is on that trophy, and it’s still a bit surreal now I’m a part of that.”
When asked by the Times what Fox thinks his monumental victory will do for golf in New Zealand, he said: “The only thing I can compare it to really is when I first started my golf career, when Cambo won the US Open.
“I remember how much influence that had on me. He took down prime Tiger Woods down the stretch in a golf tournament, which was almost unheard of back then.
“It was like dreams are possible. If I can have a similar kind of impact in that respect, it’s pretty surreal to think I’m now walking in those shoes going forward.
“I don’t know if I’ve fully processed all of it yet. But I can only look at it from my experience of seeing Campo do it, and you know how big that was for New Zealand golf.
“Hopefully I can have the same kind of impact that he had.”
Fox and family head back to the US next Monday, but he’ll return to Auckland in December for his popular event, Chasing the Fox, at Royal Auckland Grange.
“It’s already been an amazing event, but we have a chance now to make it really special, like a celebration of Kiwi golf. There’s definitely going to be a buzz around it,” he said.
