FORTUNES FAMILY

Ryan Fox finally believes he deserves “to be mentioned in the same breath” as the other sporting icons in his family.

-  David Facey

Fox’s father, Grant, achieved legendary status in rugby-mad New Zealand as the fly-half who inspired the All Blacks to triumph at the inaugural World Cup in 1987. The 126 points he scored remains a tournament record. And Ryan’s grandfather, Merv Wallace, captained the New Zealand cricket team and also went on to coach them. He even has a stand named after him at the world-famous Eden Park Outer Oval.

But after claiming the Seve Ballesteros award as the players’ player of the year at the end of 2022 – a season highlighted by his Alfred Dunhill Links success - Fox went on to win the DP World Tour’s showpiece event, the BMW PGA Championship, at Wentworth last September. And despite what he describes as a “pretty ropey time of it” so far this year, he feels he can now hold his head up when the family’s sporting achievements are listed.

“I would never claim that what I’ve done compares to what dad and my grandfather achieved, but that old line about wanting to be mentioned in the same breath definitely applies,” Fox admits. “In the last couple of years I’ve landed a big trophy at the Home of Golf, St Andrews, with mum and dad there to see it.

“I’ve also been presented with the Seve Ballesteros award, which means a lot as it’s voted for by your peers, and I’ve won at Wentworth, which is about as big as it gets outside the Majors. Oh yeah, I’ve also had a hole-in-one at one of the most iconic holes in golf, the 17th at Sawgrass. That has to be worth a few extra runs, or a few points on the board!