New Zealander Ryan Fox sealed his first PGA Tour title in spectacular fashion on Sunday with a 50-foot chip-in from the fringe of the green to win the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Fox celebrated with his wife, Anneke Ryff, and two young daughters after the stunning birdie chip won him a three-way play-off against Mackenzie Hughes and Harry Higgs and earned him a spot at the PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday.
"It's Mother's Day today," Fox told reporters. "So my wife sort of joked on Friday when I said, 'What can I get you for Mother's Day?' And she goes, 'Well, a trophy would be nice'. So I guess I lived up to my end of the bargain there.
"To have the wife and kids here is amazing."
Seamus Power finished nine shots adrift on six under after a final round 69. The west Waterford golfer left to rue Friday's five-over-par 76, which punctured his hopes of competing, however he'll head to Quail Hollow this week in good spirits after posting back-to-back 69s.
With a father who played 46 times for the All Blacks and helped bring the inaugural World Cup to rugby-mad New Zealand, Fox was always going to have to produce something special in his golf career to shed the "son of" tag.
After claiming the prestigious BMW PGA Championship title in 2023 for his fourth win on the European Tour, he packed up his young family to try his luck in the United States.
"I haven't transitioned probably as well as I would have liked over the PGA Tour," the 38-year-old said. "It was tough last year, I managed to just keep my card, and it's been a scratchy start this year as well.
"I always, deep down, felt like I could compete with the guys out here, I just haven't been able to put it together. And I was very happy to do it this week."
After signing for a final round five-under-par 66, Fox earned his spot in the play-off when Hughes blew a one-stroke lead with a bogey at the 18th and Higgs was only able to par the last.
"I don't want to be pessimistic, but you kind of figure someone's going to hole a putt on the last, that's what normally happens," Fox said.
"I kind of said to my caddie, regardless of what happens, I did all I could control really well out there. I was very chuffed to get another chance."
Fox also earned a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and is hoping that certainty over his future will help kickstart his career stateside.
"In this game, you don't get to win very often. You don't get job security very often either," he concluded.
"So it's certainly nice to have that. And at the back of my mind, can feel like for the rest of the year, I can freewheel it a little bit. Hopefully that takes some pressure off.
"We'll see how it goes in the next few weeks. But yeah, it's feels like a monkey off my back, that's for sure."
Elsewhere world number two Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand won the Mizuho Americas Open by four shots, finishing with a three-under 69 on Sunday to secure her first victory of the season in New Jersey.
Notching her first LPGA title since the CME Group Tour Championship in November, the 22-year-old Thitikul played a bogey-free round at windy Liberty National Golf Club to beat France's Celine Boutier and finish at 17 under.
"I have no idea how I can do out there," said Thitikul, who sank three birdies in the final round for her fifth LPGA Tour victory. "I mean, bogey-free on the final round, final group as well, because the pin positions were so tough today as well. We got a lot of wind, and then a lot of nerves and excitement for sure."
Thitikul took home $450,000, which put her over $1 million for the season and back in the lead for the Race to CME Globe.
Boutier, who entered the final round trailing by one shot, was seeking her first victory since she won four events in 2023, including back-to-back titles at the Evian Championship and Women's Scottish Open and a play-off win over Thitikul at the Maybank Championship.
However, Boutier's three bogeys proved costly as she shot an even-par 72 and went 13-under 275 for the week.
Leona Maguire missed the cut in Jersey City.
