Open champion Ryan Fox is a golfer who does things his own way - and that applies to his journey to the top of the game too.
While many major champions emerge through elite junior and university programmes and are earmarked for greatness from an early age, the New Zealander's path looked very different. He played other sports first, started a law degree at university and only truly committed to golf in his twenties.
Four years before becoming Open champion, Ryan Fox sat down with Golfshake for an interview that, until now, has never been published. Looking back after his triumph, many of the themes he discussed then feel remarkably relevant today. From his route into the professional game and his approach to pressure, to the advice he would give everyday golfers, the mindset that helped him become Champion Golfer of the Year was already there.
Perhaps the biggest lesson is not about swing mechanics at all. It's about focusing on the things you can control.
Golf was not Fox's only sporting passion growing up.
"It was kind of a weird one," he told Golfshake. "Cricket and rugby were my main two sports. Obviously, Dad [All Blacks legend Grant Fox] played rugby and my mum's dad played cricket for New Zealand as well. I played a lot of tennis growing up and sort of golf. Golf was the one I enjoyed the most, but it's been the least amount of time doing."
Golf was something he enjoyed during school holidays and weekends rather than having a single-minded focus or preoccupation. After leaving school, Fox enrolled on a law degree but felt that something was missing.
He said: "I started a law degree at university, and I gave up cricket and rugby and thought, I'm really missing something competitive.
"I played off two at the time... I never really had any coaching. Thought I'd get some coaching and try for a couple of tournaments. I played a couple of junior tournaments in my home club and that was about it... I absolutely loved it and that was me. I just wanted to be playing tournament golf."
Rather than years spent in elite coaching programmes, it was the thrill of competition that convinced Fox he wanted to make a career in the game. It's a reminder that there is no single blueprint for becoming a major champion.
The Mentality That Built an Open Champion
(Image Credit: The R&A)
Growing up as the son of Grant Fox inevitably brought expectations, but Ryan says the pressure never came from home.
Instead, his father gave him a simple philosophy that has stayed with him throughout his career.
"Dad said, ‘Be the best you can be' to me quite early, regardless of what it was... regardless of if you succeeded or not, if you think you did your best, well, that's great."
Looking back after watching Fox lift the Claret Jug, those words seem to explain much of his approach to golf. Rather than measuring success against other players, he has always focused on controlling his own performance.
That philosophy also shapes how he approaches tournament golf when the pressure is at its greatest. If you watch Fox playing you can’t fail to have noticed that he plays quickly - when he faced that 11-foot putt to win the Claret Jug he took just 11 seconds over the ball.
"We talked about, you know, pushing the boat out and trying to beat the golf course, not trying to beat the guys that you're playing against."
It's a deceptively simple mindset, but one that was evident throughout his triumph at Royal Birkdale. Instead of becoming distracted by leaderboards or the players around him, Fox trusted his own game and concentrated on solving the course in front of him.
Even he admits the nerves never disappear.
"Obviously you're in position you want to be in, but you're thinking about all these... all you can think about is, 'Oh yeah... don't stuff this up, basically.'"
The difference is not eliminating those thoughts but accepting them before returning his attention to the next shot. And doing so quickly means that your head does not get filled with thoughts about what can go wrong.
Advice Every Club Golfer Can Use
Many golfers associate Ryan Fox with power, but his advice for amateurs isn't about swinging harder.
Instead, it's about making better decisions before you even take the club away.
He says: "Most amateurs just need to be more target focused than anything else. Just try to pick a shot and hit a shot, try to not worry too much about the outcome... I think most people get up and either just try to hit it really hard or try not to hit it in the water or the trees or the bunker or the out of bounds or whatever."
His advice is as straightforward as the way he plays the game.
"If you can just get up and focus on your target and hit a shot, you'll probably hit it better because you will trust it a bit more. You commit to your shots a bit more, and having a small target will help you with that."
It's easy to see that same philosophy in the way Fox handled the closing stages of The Open. There was no sign of overcomplicating the challenge - simply a player committed to each shot in front of him.
The same thinking applies to his own golf swing.
"For me, it's all about stability rather than speed. If I've got the stability there, then it's a bit easier to generate, it's more controllable. I've never been one of those guys that's really focused too hard on trying to gain extra speed."
For club golfers, it's another valuable lesson. Consistency and control will almost always deliver better scores than chasing a few extra miles per hour with your swing speed.
Keeping Golf in Perspective
Despite reaching the very top of the game, Fox has always maintained interests beyond golf.
When Golfshake asked what he enjoys away from the course, he smiled: "Fishing would be my main one. I also do a little bit of surfing, play a little bit of guitar."
Becoming a father has also changed his outlook.
"My daughter doesn't care whether I shoot 80 or 60, she's still going to treat me exactly the same."
He explained that it gave him other things to think about and something extra to play for.
That perspective feels especially fitting after his Open Championship victory. Rather than immediately moving on to the next tournament, Fox returned home to New Zealand to celebrate with the family and friends who have supported him throughout his journey - a fitting reminder that while golf may be his profession, it isn't what defines him.
A Champion Who Always Loved Links Golf
Golfshake also asked Fox in 2022 about the courses he most enjoys playing.
His answer now feels particularly apt.
"We've got some good ones in New Zealand... in New Zealand I'll say Tara Iti... and elsewhere, any of the links golf courses I love. Portrush, St Andrews..."
It's perhaps no surprise that a player who has always appreciated the challenge of links golf has now added his name to the list of Open champions. Four years after that conversation, another iconic links course, Royal Birkdale, became the setting for the greatest triumph of his career.
More Than Just an Open Champion
Ryan Fox's Open Championship victory will be remembered for the golf he produced under the greatest pressure.
But revisiting this interview from 2022 shows that many of the qualities behind that success were already firmly established.
His route into professional golf was unconventional. He discovered his love of competition rather than following a traditional pathway. He learned to judge himself by effort instead of results, to beat the golf course rather than the players around him, and to keep golf in perspective through family and life away from the game.
For club golfers, those lessons are every bit as valuable today as they were when he shared them with Golfshake four years ago.
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