After struggling to make birdies over the first three days of the Olympic men’s golf tournament, New Zealander Ryan Fox showed his class today, shooting a seven under par 64.
The Aucklander’s birdie-fest lifted him from 55th to a tie for 42nd, 5 under par. It was a pity his best form eluded him earlier because when Fox is on song, he certainly belongs in the top company. His four rounds were 70, 72, 73, 64 for a total of 279.
The gold medal went to American Xander Schauffele, who shot 68, 63, 68, 67 to finish 18 under par, one stroke ahead of Rory Sabbatini, now representing Slovenia. South African-born Sabbatini had a sensational day, shooting 61, and nearly grabbed a shock victory.
Third place went to CT Pan of Taiwan after a madcap play-off involving seven golfers.
The women’s tournament, featuring Lydia Ko, a silver medallist in Rio five years ago, begins on Wednesday.