Auckland golfer Ryan Fox has won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic tournament in the UAE.
Photo: AFP
He fired a three under par final round to finish at 22 under and five shots ahead of Englishman Ross Fisher.
The 35-year-old earns just over a half a million dollars for the win.
It is the second time Fox has won on the European Tour following his success at the 2019 World Super 6 in Perth, while he has also won twice on the European Challenge Tour.
Fox led from the first round, and is the second wire to wire winner of the season. The last Kiwi to achieve the feat was Michael Campbell at the 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic, played in November 1999.
"It was a bit of a struggle today," said the two-time Olympian who now moves into the top 10 on tour rankings. "Sleeping on a six-shot lead I did not sleep very well last night and obviously a couple of guys came at me early.
"I was a bit nervous and had that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach all day but I'm very happy with how I played. I hit a couple of great shots coming down the stretch and it was certainly nice walking up the last with my putter in my hand knowing I had six putts for it."
Fox's daughter Isabel was born in December 2020 and the 35-year-old could not wait to get home and see her - after spending ten days in hotel quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I was definitely thinking about the family coming down the last couple of holes, it's pretty big for them," he added. "They've got to come over to Europe every year and it's a little bit harder with a little one now and this win makes it a little bit easier for them to do that.
"I'm a bit disappointed that I missed her walking and I've got ten days in a hotel when I get home to think about that as well and I'm very much looking forward to seeing them when I get out late February."
Fellow New Zealander Daniel Hillier has finished third at the European Challenger tournament in South Africa.
