Ryan Fox has enjoyed plenty of memorable moments since becoming Champion Golfer of the Year, but carrying the New Zealand flag alongside the All Blacks in Baltimore added another special experience to the list.
The world No 24 was invited to watch the final test against South Africa from the New Zealand Ambassador’s box before being asked to carry the flag as the teams walked on to the field.
Fox followed All Blacks great Sean Fitzpatrick, Six60’s Marlon Gerbes and Black Ferns co-captain Ruahei Demant, who had performed the role earlier in the four-test tour.
With Ardie Savea unavailable for the Baltimore finale, captain Codie Taylor invited Fox to stand arm-in-arm with the team for the national anthem.
“You go out on the field and see the team run out and Codie pulled me in,” Fox said. “To see what those guys have every week is pretty incredible. I had a great experience.”
The Springboks went on to win 43-28 and complete a 3-1 series victory, but Fox said the chance to be involved with the All Blacks had been unforgettable.
The surprise went both ways.
Fox later stayed in the same hotel as the All Blacks and caught up with several players at a Six60 concert, where Taylor told him the team had not known who their flagbearer would be.
Fox said Taylor told him the players were excited when they ran out and discovered the Open champion was carrying the flag.
The 39-year-old has since returned to golf at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where he is playing alongside fellow 2026 major champions Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai.
Fox, who won the BMW PGA Championship in 2023, opened with a four-under 68 to sit two shots behind joint leaders Rai and Joakim Lagergren after the first round. McIlroy carded a three-under 69.
The Kiwi entered Wentworth looking to rediscover some momentum after finishing his PGA Tour season 26th in the FedExCup standings following a patchy run through the playoffs.
Fox said playing in front of a large Wentworth crowd alongside McIlroy and Rai could provide exactly the spark he was searching for.
“I feel like I’ve kind of struggled a little bit to find some intensity after the Open,” Fox said.
“But playing with Rory in front of what I imagine is going to be a pretty big crowd, I think that’ll certainly help the intensity and hopefully spark a little something in the golf game too.”
After a memorable detour with the All Blacks in Baltimore, Fox has made an encouraging start to doing exactly that.
