SOUTHPORT, England — More than a British Open champion, Ryan Fox has become the new face of playing quickly in a sport that could use a good example.
Perhaps the best illustration came during the most important moment of his life. He had a 12-foot birdie putt to win his first major, pressure as great as can be found in golf. The 39-year-old Fox took all of 22 seconds to send it on its way.
He chose his words carefully Sunday evening to make sure he didn’t offend.
“I need to make sure this comes across right,” Fox said. “It’s not that difficult to pick a shot and pick a club. I get in there, and it all happens quickly. It’s always going to be between one or two clubs into a green, and I just see the shot quickly, pick a shot quickly, and the less time I have to think about it, the less bad stuff can creep in there.”
It was all good on Sunday — the perfect drive, the perfect 9-iron, the perfect putt.
Fox joins a short list of players renowned for getting on with it during the big money era — Joe Ogilvie and Bill Haas, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, Lucas Glover and Matt Jones.
Fox was asked if anyone was quicker than him, and he mentioned Renato Paratore of Italy.
“He used to hit while his name was getting announced on the first tee,” Fox said.
He also shared a story involving Scottie Scheffler, who did not make the list. He said they played in a threesome during the WM Phoenix Open.
“I can’t work out if this was a burn or a compliment,” Fox said. “We walk off the ninth tee, and he goes: ‘Foxy, it doesn’t even feel like you’re in the group. It just feels like we’re playing in a two-ball, you hit so fast.’”
“It’s just always how I’ve played,” Fox said. “I’m kind of glad I kept that routine down the stretch.”
