Ryan Fox has revealed the memorable compliment he received from US President Donald Trump during his Presidents Cup debut at Medinah Country Club.
Trump attended the final day in his role as honorary chairman of the event, meeting players on the first tee before later taking part in the trophy presentation.
For Fox, it provided one of the more surreal moments of an already remarkable season.
“I get on the tee, and he just said to me, ‘I really like your game and a huge congrats on the Open’,” Fox said.
“To hear that from the President of the United States was pretty cool.”
Trump is a well-known golf fan, and Fox said his presence created an atmosphere unlike anything he had previously experienced at a tournament.
“There’s Secret Service everywhere, there’s snipers, there’s Delta Force squads and everything else rolling around,” Fox said.
“Having him there certainly added to the atmosphere. It did make life a little more difficult for us, with all the extra stuff going on, but that’s all part of it.”
Fox was making his first Presidents Cup appearance and finished with a 2-2 record as the International Team fell 17-13 to the United States following a dramatic final-day comeback.
Both of his victories came in foursomes alongside Australian Min Woo Lee, while he lost his opening four-ball match with Adam Scott and was beaten 2 and 1 by Xander Schauffele in the Sunday singles.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the trophy, Fox said the week was another experience he would remember.
It followed another unusual sporting moment shortly before Medinah, when the Kiwi carried the New Zealand flag onto the field ahead of the All Blacks’ test against South Africa in Baltimore.
Fox said even his parents had not realised what was happening after misunderstanding a message he had sent before the match.
“They absolutely lost their minds when they saw me out there with the flag before the game,” he said.
The chance to stand alongside the All Blacks for the national anthem also gave Fox a taste of an atmosphere rarely encountered in golf.
“We don’t get much like that in golf,” he said.
“I would say maybe the first tee shot of the Presidents Cup or first tee shot of a major is kind of similar with that kind of atmosphere, but to have 70,000 people screaming in the stands is pretty special.”
From carrying the New Zealand flag alongside the All Blacks to receiving praise from the US President at Medinah, it has been another memorable stretch in an extraordinary year for New Zealand’s Champion Golfer of the Year.
