Ryan Fox became only the third man from New Zealand to win a major championship at The Open on Sunday.
Fox produced some sensational golf down the stretch at Royal Birkdale to win The Open by one from Cam Young.
The 39-year-old has enjoyed a very impressive career in the game, but his win at Royal Birkdale takes him to a whole new level entirely.
Ryan Fox can now call himself a major champion, alongside his fellow New Zealanders, Michael Campbell and Bob Charles.
The way that Fox won The Open was hugely impressive.
He made an incredible bogey on the 15th hole before birdying the 16th and 18th holes to clinch the win.
Ryan Fox’s first words after winning The Open Championship
Fox spoke on the 18th green at Royal Birkdale just after he held aloft the claret jug.
The New Zealander thanked everyone who has helped him on his journey.
“I don’t really know what to think at the moment,“ he said.
“I have a lot of people to thank. First of all my family. My wife and kids are in Florida at the moment. When I spoke to my kids last night they said bring back a trophy, I think this is a pretty cool one to bring back for them.
“My family back in New Zealand and all my supporters back there, I know it’s been a long night for them but I am glad it’s been worthwhile.
“My team, you guys put in so much work and I know I wouldn’t be here without them. The R&A, to Royal Birkdale, everyone who has made this event what it is, just an unbelievable week.
“The golf course was fantastic, the English weather was fantastic, you guys out there were fantastic, the support was amazing. This is pretty cool, thank you very much.“
Ryan Fox reveals what he told his caddie just before he won The Open
Fox told reporters how he managed to overcome his nerves to win The Open at Birkdale.
“I still don’t know what to think. My nerves are all over the place. It is a dream come true looking at this trophy now. It’s the first time I’ve seen it up close, it’s pretty amazing,“ he said.
“I was really happy. I said to my caddie through six or eight holes, I feel a lot better than I thought I would right now. Played really solid early and hit some great shots down the stretch. To play that last hole like I did, I stood on the tee and said to my caddie Dean, we are trying to win this and I hit two perfect shots.
“I am not sure how I hit the putt, my hands were all over the place, I was just trying to get it towards the hole. It’s surreal. Champion golfer of the year has a good ring to it.
“It’s always see a shot, hit a shot. As soon as I start thinking about it too much some bad stuff creeps in. That was the process down the stretch. I had some good numbers for iron shots on 16, 17 and 18 and thankfully I executed pretty well.“
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