Ryan Fox, rules, Bryson and sausage rolls: 50 thoughts on the Open

Who’s Ryan Fox?

Or [Insert number] things you didn’t know about Ryan Fox.

Or something like that. Over the past 24 hours, you’ve likely seen more than a few articles with those discovery-based headlines; hell, even this site wrote one. In the encyclopedia-in-your-pocket era, what these stories do is catch you up with subjects now celebrated but previously a bit unheralded — and what you usually won’t find are similar-styled pieces about multiple-time major winners or those in and around the world top 25 because sports, at their core, are about who wins, and sports stories are about telling you how that happened, so, by now, you’re well acquainted with the folks who have won dozens of times over such as Nelly and Scottie and Rory. 

So let’s indulge this: Who’s Ryan Fox, the 39-year-old New Zealander who, on Sunday, won the Open Championship for his first major championship?

He’s you, actually.

Or at least perhaps closer to you than, say, Nelly and Scottie and Rory. Fox needed a while to arrive and worked toward that. He started playing competitive golf in his late teens. Turned pro in his mid-20s. Reached the PGA Tour at 37. None of this is to say that Fox doesn’t have god-given ability, or that the aforementioned megastars are afraid to get their golf gloves dirty, so to say. It’s just that Fox’s path has had more twists and turns than Royal Birkdale’s fairways, which we all can relate to. 

“Why it’s a slow burn? I don’t know,” Fox said Sunday. “It took — I was a rookie on the DP World Tour at 30. I was a rookie on the PGA Tour at 37 and now a major champion at 39. I’m definitely not following the trend at the moment. But if I can keep getting better a little bit every year, I’ll be pretty happy.

“I said it earlier; if you’d have given me my career up till yesterday when I first turned pro, I would have jumped at it. Now I probably would have killed people for it.”

Sunday night, I wanted to test my theory. I texted my 18-year-old golfing nephew a tweet that shared the point that Fox didn’t start playing seriously until he was about the same age. The response?

“Dang, that’s crazy.”

Crazy like a … [insert bad pun here.]

As we look back at the Open Championship week that was, let’s make that observation No. 1 then. We’ll try for 49 more, and we’ll be fueled by the anticipation of eating a sausage roll, which will be had as soon as the keyboarding concludes.

2. How trying was the journey? Fox was close to quitting. 

“My second year on the Aussie Tour, I was pretty close to giving it up,” he said. “I think I had three events left in the season, and I was not enjoying it. I played well enough in pro-ams to make a little money, but I had not played well on tour, and I was well outside keeping my card.

“I remember getting to the Aussie Masters at Royal Melbourne. It was the second-to-last event of the year. I had just missed the cut at the Aussie PGA badly. My dad came over and caddied for me, and he said to me, ‘Why do you play this game?’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s supposed to be fun.’ But it wasn’t really very fun at the time. He goes, ‘Well, let’s just go out this week and try to have some fun.’

“I think I finished fifth that week, and that made enough to keep my card for the year. Took the pressure off the rest of the year, and I came back the following year and played really, really well.

“Yeah, that was — I was very close to giving it up at that point.”

3. Who is Ryan Fox? 

A finisher. 

On the mine-filled 72nd hole, he nuked a drive, flushed an iron and sunk a putt, under the heat of needing a bird to win major No. 1. Has there been a better played hole, under the circumstances? 

4. He played to win it, too. First or bust. 

“I did say to my caddie, Dean [Smith, on the tee that we were going to take it on, that I was going to try to win the tournament,” Fox said, “and I’d live with the consequences if I stuffed it up.”

He didn’t stuff it up. 

5. Who is Ryan Fox?

Efficient. 

He played those shots on 18, along with all of his other ones, with few questions asked. He’s fast. On Sunday, the PGA Tour shared a video that you can watch below that showed he needed just 22 seconds on his 270th and final stroke. 

6. But pro golf is kinda, well, slow. How has he handled that?

“I think just playing professional golf in general, it used to frustrate me a lot early on, and I’ve just got better at switching off and talking to Dean, my caddie, or talking to my playing partners,” Fox said.

“Xander [Schauffele] and I did a great job of that yesterday. I get along with Sam [Burns] really well. There was a few chats going on down there, but we were probably a bit more focused today than we were yesterday.

“Yeah, like I just — you only really need to concentrate properly 30 seconds, a minute before hitting a shot, and then you can switch off again. That’s just the strategy I’ve had going pretty much my whole golf career.”

7. Has he ever played with anyone faster?

“I can think of one maybe, Renato Paratore, back in the day,” Fox said. “He used to hit while his name was getting announced on the 1st tee. 

“He’s probably the only one that did it. I’ll go a little while — I played with Scottie Scheffler earlier in the year, and I can’t work out if this was a burn or a compliment. We played at Phoenix, and we’re in a three-ball on Saturday. We walk off the 9th tee, and he goes, ‘Foxy, it doesn’t even feel like you’re in the group. It just feels like we’re playing in a two-ball, you hit it so fast. It’s just in the air.’

“You guys can tell me if it’s a burn or a compliment. It is just always how I’ve played. I’m kinda glad I kept that routine down the stretch.”

8. Does Fox do everything fast? Drive fast? Eat fast?

“I can’t really — I can’t drive fast in New Zealand because we get too many speeding tickets,” he said. “Yeah, I would say just my brain works fast. That’s just how everything is. Yeah, it’s just always how I’ve seen it on the golf course.

“If you tried to slow me down and make me do everything slowly, I think I’d be pretty useless, to be honest.”

9. Who is Ryan Fox?

Son of a rugby legend. And a watcher of the sport. A bettor of it, too. On Saturday, the All Blacks — the team Fox’s dad, Grant, used to play for — defeated Ireland, and Fox and Irishman Shane Lowry supposedly had a wager going. After he shot his record-tying 62 on Saturday, Fox said he was going to watch a replay of the match and that he was “looking forward to taking 100 quid off of him, the little bet we had.”

10. Speaking of the All Blacks, I thought the video below, taken from Golf Channel’s “Live From” show, was good. 

11. Music break! Let’s go with Oasis, which formed about an hour’s drive to the east of Royal Birkdale, in Manchester. Below is song No. 1.

“>

12. One more word on New Zealand. Last week, at the Genesis Scottish Open, Scheffler said he has interest in playing in the country, which led to a reporter on Sunday asking him what about the country had appealed to him. 

He started his answer this way:

“Just the views from ‘Lord of the Rings’ pretty much.”

13. Let’s start non-Fox player thoughts with Scheffler, who finishes the major season 0 for 4. 

Winning majors is hard.

What he did in winning two last year may never be done again.

What he did this year — finishing in the top five in three majors while playing perhaps his less-than-best golf — is incredible. 

14. I think he wins the PGA Championship next year. 

15. I thought this was good from Travis Smyth, who played a practice round with Scheffler:

“Yeah, yesterday was sweet, playing with Scottie for the first time,” he said. “Watching the precision of his iron play was amazing. It was kind of demoralizing a little bit. It was like, damn, when I play good, I don’t think I have that in me.

“But it was good. It lights a fire in my stomach and makes me want to work hard. Now that I’ve seen what No. 1 in the world looks like, a little bit of a taste — it was only nine holes, but it was a great experience watching him play.

“He’s a lovely guy, really down to earth, which I’m happy about. He’s not like a d**khead or anything. So it was good.”

16. What if Bryson DeChambeau’s ball had ended up to the left of the grandstands like Scheffler’s did on Sunday?

17. Many, many words have been typed on DeChambeau and FescueGate, so I’ll keep the thoughts to just a few. 

Both Scheffler and Max Homa said in response to the events of Friday that DeChambeau was not a cheater, and their point is made. 

Doesn’t mean he’s mistake-proof, though.  

18. Then there’s the thought that since players like DeChambeau are often televised, their actions, good or bad, are more visible than players who aren’t on camera. 

But if you’re a player who believes in all that is good and holy about the game, wouldn’t you welcome any and all exposure? A colleague of mine made this point, and I agree.  

19. DeChambeau dominated the headlines — and said few words to reporters. 

Can writers tell the story without talking to him? Yes, we have more than our mouths. (Feel free to make your eating jokes here.) Eyes and ears can also do the job. Those associated with him can also be helpful.

Do I personally care whether DeChambeau talks? No, nor do I personally care whether others talk. 

Do I care that you, the reader, cares? Yes, and that’s my job. 

Do you want to know his side of what happened on Friday through questions you may have? And not through statements he might give? 

20. Then there’s the tweet below. 

21. Music break! Below is Oasis song No. 2.

“>

22. I’ll just leave this item here: Geoff Shackelford of the Quadrilateral reported that DeChambeau wanted to bring President Donald Trump into his rules conversation with the R&A. You can — and should — subscribe to Shackelford’s newsletter here. 

23. I think DeChambeau wins the Open Championship next year. 

24. What if Cameron Young had hit a wedge out of the fairway bunker on 18 on Sunday?

25. What if Fox had hit his ball about an inch lower out of the fairway bunker on 18 on Saturday?

26. What’s the over-under total on career major wins for Young? I’ll go 2.5. 

27. What’s the over-under total on career major wins for Burns? I’ll go 1.5. 

28. There was only player to shoot in the 60s for all four rounds: Tommy Fleetwood. 

29. He wins the U.S. Open next year. 

30. And Ludvig Aberg wins the Masters. 

31. Music break! Below is Oasis song No. 3.

“>

32. I’ll never get over that men’s pro golf goes from one of its biggest events — that also ends the major season — to a standard tour event just a few days later. 

33. On Friday, after his 62, Lucas Herbert was asked what he had for dinner the night before and he said a steak and a cheeseburger. 

I’m still thinking about that on Monday. 

34. Ahead of the tournament, I really believed Matt Fitzpatrick was going to contend, and certainly make the cut, but he did neither. I thought what he said on Friday was interesting. 

“Yeah, it is disappointing, but like I say, I didn’t really feel like I played that bad,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve hit three shots today that I’ve hit them exactly how I wanted them, and one is in a bush 30 yards long. One has basically been on the green for basically 15 seconds and then dropped off the green, and that’s another dropped shot. Then I’ve hit one that somehow has gone less than the normal number, and there’s 15 yards of help downwind. Now all of a sudden you’re plugged in the face of a bunker.

“So I’ve got four shots, and three shots I’ve hit good. That’s the way links golf is. When it’s this firm, there’s a lot of luck of the bounces and luck of the lies. It is what it is.

35. I thought the quote below was interesting. 

“The more I play that golf course,” Robert MacIntyre said of Royal Birkdale, “the more I realize that it’s not for — it doesn’t set up that well for me.

“There are certain holes that the longer hitters — the guys probably cruising it at 184 ball speed — are taking drivers on and there’s no punishment. I feel like that’s the way professional golf is going. I get we’re trying to get crowds in, but we’ve still got to have — links golf needs gorse bushes, and I’m watching everyone now, the longer hitters, bomb driver down 9. There’s one gorse bush down the left-hand side. You’re telling me — that hole reminds me of I think it’s 12 or something at Portrush, the dogleg left to right before the long par-5. I mean, it needs gorse bushes. Cam [Young] has hit a slightly wider one, but he knows it’s fine and then he’s pitched up to six feet and holed it.

“I feel like links golf courses are designed to be — it’s like you go and take the gorse bushes out at Troon on that one right by the railway — that’s what I feel is going to happen. That’s the way I feel the new designers are going. So yeah, it wasn’t to be my week. But always next year.”

36. I also thought this quote was interesting:

“If you give up on reaching your ceiling,” Jordan Spieth said, “then I don’t see a point in playing anymore.”

37. One of the best stories of the week was that of David Howard, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was 7. Earlier in the week, he said this to the BBC: “When I was 12 or 13 I didn’t even think I’d live to this age — to be here now, healthy as ever and playing with all these top players, it doesn’t even make sense to me.” On Friday, he shot a one-under 69.

38. Another one of the best stories of the week was the journey of Marcus Plunkett. Below is a video about him. 

39. Below is one of the pictures of the week. It was taken by Adrain Dennis of AFP. 

40. Below is also one of the pictures of the week. It was taken by Warren Little of Getty Images. 

41. Music break! Below is Oasis song No. 4:

“>

42. Minjee Lee wins the Women’s Open, which would also give her four of the five women’s majors.  

43. Here are a few of my favorite reads this week from the on-site GOLF.com staff. From Michael Bamberger, his column here on the DeChambeau incident was great. 

44. From James Colgan, his column here, also on DeChambeau, was great.  

45. From Sean Zak, his story here on Young’s Sunday wait was great. 

46. I also liked Dylan Dethier’s Winners and Losers stories after each round. You can read them here, here, here and here. 

47. Every video at Birkdale was shot by Darren Riehl. A few of my favorites are here, here and here.  

48. Two years ago, my wife and I went to England together, and I’ve been thinking about the pasty-and-meat slice of heaven that is a sausage roll ever since. Our first night, we bought some from the nearby market. Then the second night. And the third … 

49. On Monday night, we went to the Churchill Tavern in New York City, where they have ’em. 

50. In the fall, my wife and I are headed to Scotland, where next year’s Open will be. So … what do you think we should do? I might not be able to play any golf, but there’s a chance. Feel free to email me at nick.piastowski@golf.com.