MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Ryan Fox of New Zealand chipped in from just outside 50 feet on the first playoff hole to win the Myrtle Beach Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, sending him back to the PGA Championship.
Fox closed with a 5-under 66 that looked like it might not be enough when Mackenzie Hughes came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead.
Hughes pulled his drive into the trees, had to pitch out and missed a 10-foot par putt for a 67 that put him in a playoff at 15-under 269 with Fox and Harry Higgs, who missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th with a chance to win for the first time. Higgs shot 68.
Going back to the 18th for the playoff, Hughes and Higgs found the fairway and each had decent looks at birdie. Fox went from the rough to the collar right of the green. He raised both arms when the chip dropped for birdie.
“I had a really similar line in regulation and missed the putt right,” Fox said. “My caddie, Dean (Smith), said to me, `Remember, this doesn’t break that much.′ So I just kind of aimed straight at it, and I hit the spot I wanted to hit. ... To be honest, it never looked like it was going anywhere else, and the rest of it is a bit of a blur from there.”
Higgs and Hughes each missed their birdie putts.
The 38-year-old Fox had won three times on the European tour, including the flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2023, and has climbed as high as No. 23 in the world. But he had yet to record a top 10 on the PGA Tour this year.
“Very rewarding,” Fox said. “I haven’t transitioned probably as well as I would have liked over to the PGA Tour. It was a tough year last year. I managed to just keep my card. It’s been a scratchy start this year as well. I always deep down felt like I could compete with the guys out here. Just haven’t been able to put it together. I was very happy to do it this week and give myself a chance on Sunday was nice again.”
The PGA Championship was holding a spot in the field at Quail Hollow for the winner of the Myrtle Beach Classic. This will be Fox's fourth straight year playing the major. Hughes was already in the field.
The victory also gives Fox a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in The Sentry at Kapalua to start next year.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
The Associated Press
