Ryan Fox has led home a strong New Zealand challenge at the Genesis Championship, finishing tied fourth as Daniel Hillier surged into a share of 11th and Kazuma Kobori closed with his best round of the week.
All three Kiwis broke par on Sunday at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, completing a tournament in which each made the cut and finished under par.
Fox signed for a one-under 70 to reach ten under overall, three shots behind winner Yuto Katsuragawa. Hillier’s five-under 66 brought him home at nine under, while Kobori returned a three-under 68 to finish four under and tied 34th.
Fox Delivers Four Rounds In The 60s And 70
Fox’s consistency kept him among the contenders throughout the week.
Rounds of 68, 67, 69 and 70 produced a 274 total and a share of fourth, just one stroke behind joint runners-up Martin Couvra and Frederic Lacroix.
Starting Sunday four shots behind Katsuragawa, Fox needed a low closing round to put sustained pressure on the Japanese leader. His 70 improved his tournament score, but ultimately left him short of the winning mark.
Nevertheless, finishing in the top four represents a strong return from a week in which he never shot over par. Fox gave New Zealand supporters a contender to follow through the final afternoon and finished as the leading Kiwi.
Hillier Saves His Best For Sunday
Hillier provided New Zealand’s standout final-round performance.
His 66 was his lowest score of the tournament and lifted him from tied 26th overnight to a share of 11th — one shot outside the seven-player group tied fourth.
It completed an impressive response to his opening 72. Hillier followed that with rounds of 68, 69 and 66, playing his final 54 holes in ten under par.
That recovery is the encouraging part of his Korean campaign. An opening day above par could easily have left him fighting simply to stay for the weekend. Instead, Hillier steadily improved his position and finished within touching distance of the top ten.
Kobori Finishes On A Positive Note
Kobori also saved his best score for the final day.
After rounds of 72, 70 and 70, his closing 68 secured a 280 total and a share of 34th.
Having reached halfway at level par, he played the weekend in four under and improved from tied 49th after Saturday.
For Kobori, Sunday supplied a positive finish to a tournament that gathered momentum after his opening round.
Three Kiwis Under Par
Katsuragawa took the title at 13 under, following his brilliant third-round 63 with a level-par 71 to win by two strokes.
For New Zealand, the week ended with Fox inside the top five, Hillier charging towards the top ten and Kobori climbing on Sunday.
There was no Kiwi trophy this time, but there was plenty to applaud across all three campaigns.
