As if having the Claret Jug in his possession – there are actually two, the real one and a replica – was not enough of a reminder that he won the Open Championship last month at Royal Birkdale, Ryan Fox keeps being reminded in unexpected ways.
Take this week at the BMW Championship in St. Louis as an example. Until Birkdale, Fox could go about his business largely unnoticed by anyone not inside the ropes.
Not anymore.
“Coming out of the hotel this week I got stopped going to dinner like five times to sign an autograph. Like, that has never really happened.
“It might happen obviously on the golf course, but not just randomly at the hotel. So there’s no more kind of flying under the radar,” said Fox, who sits 25th in the FedEx Cup points race entering the penultimate playoff event.
Winning a major championship can do that. Like Aaron Rai’s victory at the PGA Championship in May, Fox’s win resonated because of both who he is and how he did it.
The triumph introduced Fox, who still calls New Zealand home though he has a Florida base as well, to a broader audience. Popular among his peers, Fox’s brisk playing style and his steely finish capped by a birdie on the 72nd hole felt like an international unveiling of a hidden treasure.
Fox has made sure to properly celebrate his achievement even if it produced some awkward but amusing moments along the way.
It began the morning after his victory when a bleary-eyed Fox headed to the airport to begin the journey back to Miami to see his family. When he was picked up at 4:15 a.m. to go to the airport, Fox was still feeling the effects of his celebration, having stayed up all night.
Fox and his trophies made it to Miami and then back home to New Zealand, where he was celebrated as the country’s fourth major champion, joining Bob Charles, Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko.
With his suitcase, his golf clubs, a backpack and a Trackman, Fox also had two bulky cases housing the Claret Jugs (he will return the original at St. Andrews next year and keep the replica). Standing in front of Fox in the check-in line was Cameron Young, who lost by a shot when Fox birdied the final hole.
“I feel a bit guilty about this. Cam was brilliant. We chatted and everything like that,” Fox said.
“Then I get to the check-in desk and I go, can these things go on the plane? They’re probably a little bit too valuable to go underneath. And [the ticket agent is] like, what are they? Oh, they’re the trophies. Like, it’s the Claret Jug. Then I had to explain that it was the British Open trophy and I had won it yesterday and everything.
“So she’s like, no problem. She’s like, normally you would call us. I said, well this only happened late last night, and I wasn’t in really any state to call anyone about it. She’s like, OK, that’s fine …
“Then, getting on the plane I felt bad, like … I never like holding people up when you get on a plane. Everyone just wants to get to their seat. And I’m trying to figure out how to fit these two boxes in the overhead and take up all the space.”
It all worked out. Fox and his trophies made it to Miami and then back home to New Zealand, where he was celebrated as the country’s fourth major champion, joining Bob Charles, Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko.
Upon landing in New Zealand, there were news crews waiting and Fox told his story again. In one of the interviews, Fox mentioned how he was looking forward to having a meat pie, a staple in his home country.
Fox was still getting settled into his house when there was a knock on the door. A neighbor who runs a catering company had heard Fox’s interview and had a welcome-home package for him.
“She literally … knocks on the door and gives us a couple of bags and it was like four meat pies and a big pie, big smoked fish pie for dinner that night,” Fox said.
“I felt like I had to go home to New Zealand while it was still fresh, celebrate properly. Which I’m really glad we did that. – Ryan Fox
After a three-week break, Fox got back to the business of golf last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. The time off showed in a T58 finish but Fox began to feel like himself again with a final-round 67, sending him to Bellerive in St. Louis encouraged about making it to East Lake for the Tour Championship for the first time next week.
“The last month has been a bit crazy, to be honest. Obviously my world has changed and I’m still trying to get used to that. So it was good to get back last week. It felt like I could kind of use the golf course a little bit as my sanctuary, that I can just go back and play golf,” Fox said.
“I probably didn’t have the prep that you would normally have going in. I wouldn’t plan on having three weeks off in the middle of a year especially in the lead-up to the playoffs. But I felt like I had to go home to New Zealand while it was still fresh, celebrate properly. Which I’m really glad we did that.
“I’ve not normally been one that’s been great after a bit of a break. I need to work my way into it. So, hopefully last week knocked some cobwebs out and some rust and I can get back into it properly this week.”