Fox paired with major winners at The Open
- NZ Sports Wire
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox will play with two major winners for the first two rounds of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Fox, who has won two PGA Tour events in the last two months, will begin his opening round on Thursday at 9.25am local time (8.25pm NZ Time) alongside Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick.
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Matsuyama won the Masters in 2021, while Fitzpatrick claimed his only major win at the US Open a year later.
The trio get their second rounds on Friday started at 2.26pm local time (1.26am Saturday NZT) in the second round.
Fox will be appearing in his ninth Open Championship, having made the cut six times, including two top-25 finishes, with his best performance in 2019 when Royal Portrush last hosted the major.
Fellow Kiwi Daniel Hillier has also been paired with a Masters winner, former US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, along with Englishman Daniel Brown, who also plays on the DP World Tour.
The trio will tee off in the first round on Thursday at 11.58am local time (10.58pm NZT) and are out early on day two on Friday at 6.57am (5.57pm NZT).
Hillier is playing in his fourth Open Championship and had his best finish of tied 19th at last year’s event at Royal Troon.
New Zealand Open winner Ryan Peake will play with six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who lifted the Claret Jug in 2013.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele is paired with US Open winner JJ Spaun and two-time major winner Jon Rahm, of Spain, teeing off at 9.58am (8.58pm NZT).
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is in the next group at 10.09am (9.09pm NZT), with Irishman Shane Lowry, who won at Royal Portrush in 2019, and 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa.
The other featured groups go out later in the day, including Bryson DeChambeau, Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose at 2.48pm (1.48am Friday NZT), followed by Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland at 2.59pm (1.59am Friday NZT).
Masters champion Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood will go off at 3.10pm (2.10am Friday NZT).
Two-time winner Padraig Harrington, the first Irishman to lift the Claret Jug, will play the opening tee shot on Thursday at 6.35am local time (5.35pm NZT).