Ryan Fox

Fox had his best major finish when he tied for 16th at Royal Portrush and he went on to earn an exemption for Royal St George’s by topping the 2019 Australasian Tour Order of Merit.

His first European Tour title came at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 in Perth, beating Adrian Otaegui in the final.

In 2018 he lost a play-off to Russell Knox in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin, Knox making a 40-foot putt on the final green and amazingly repeating the feat at the first extra hole. The runner-up finish earned Fox one of the three Carnoustie places on offer at the event as part of The Open Qualifying Series.

It was the same route into the Championship as 2017 when he came joint fourth at Portstewart, the son of former All Black rugby star Grant Fox qualifying because winner Jon Rahm and joint runner-up Matthew Southgate were already exempt.

Fox has had three victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia and two more on the European Challenge Tour, while in 2016 he represented New Zealand at both the Olympics and World Cup. That came six years after he was part of his country’s three-man side in the Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Championship.