Ryan Fox’s run in the men’s golf faded in the final round today when he was struck twice by the curse of the double bogey.
Fox began his day in 27th equal position, but hopes of a finish among the leaders disappeared when he fired two bogeys and a double bogey on the outward nine, and another double bogey on the 18th. He managed birdies on 2, 9 and 10, but still could no better than a 3 over par 74, which gave him a tournament total of 282 – 2 under par.
The 37-year-old Aucklander, playing in his third Olympic, finished in a tie for 35th, having played some good golf but struggled for consistency.
The other New Zealander in the field, 25-year-old Wellingtonian Daniel Hillier, was looking for a good round to help him climb to a respectable place in the field.
Hillier, making his Olympic debut, had rounds of 75, 73, 70 over the first three days and was hoping to continue his improvement.
Instead, he had a rare – and disastrous - quadruple bogey 7 on the 192-metre second hole, which put paid to any thoughts of a sub-par round. He fought back with birdies on the 5th, 13th and 15th before bogeying the 16th.
Hillier finished with a round of 73 and a tournament total of 291 - seven over par. He finished 55th of the 60 starters.
The tournament was won by Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No 1-ranked golfer.
The women’s tournament, featuring double Olympic medallist Lydia Ko, begins on Wednesday.