Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier primed for Olympics after testing rounds at Royal Troon

With golf’s majors in the rearview mirror for the 2024 season, 60 of the world’s best golfers have now turned their attention to the Olympic tournament in Paris, but not before some much-needed recovery following an arduous 152nd running of The Open.

Royal Troon lived up to its demanding reputation, as the swirling Scottish winds picked up and wreaked havoc on many a scorecard in the third round, including that of Kiwi Ryan Fox.

Speaking to SENZ Mornings, Fox revealed the back-nine had provided arguably the toughest conditions he had ever played in his professional career to date.

“Being a true Open, we got all the (weather) conditions and I’m knackered after last week,” Fox told host Ian Smith.

“It was my fourth week in a row as well. I need a couple of days off just to get the body and mind back in one piece,”

Fox finished T25 on five-over par – the fourth round his best, scoring 67 after previous rounds of 73, 73 and 76, in what he describes as “a nice way to finish the major season for the year”.

Daniel Hillier made his first cut in a major to end up T19 with his best performance coming in the third round, sinking four birdies to score 68.

“It was brutal – I luckily didn’t have to play that Saturday afternoon, I was off nice and early and managed to make the most of some half decent conditions,” Hillier conceded while speaking with SENZ Breakfast.

“Seeing guys hitting driver into the par-three 17, that’s pretty insane. Some of those holes there where you’re usually on a calm day you’re hitting driver and a mid-iron into the green, these guys couldn’t even reach them in regulation.

“It’s certainly a tough test. You’ve got the front-nine where the wind is blowing hard of your right on every hole bar one, and then you get to the tenth hole and it’s going the complete opposite way. There’s that element you have to adjust to as well – it’s just a constant grind out there. Once you’re off, you get absolutely punished.”

Hillier is humble about his top-twenty finish at The Open after having a challenging time on the DP World Tour in 2024 to date, finishing the best of the four Kiwi golfers with Kazuma Kobori and Michael Hendry both missing the cut.

“Golf is a funny game, it (the hole) can feel like it’s miles away at some stages. I just had to keep telling myself that things can change very quickly in this game and thankfully I managed to put some of those past results to the back of my mind.

“I felt like my game was in decent shape leading into the event, it managed to all click at the right time.”

The Porirua native is finding his game at the right time as he prepares to make his Olympic Games debut for New Zealand, alongside Fox who will feature in his third.

“I just got goosebumps,” Hillier admits while thinking about Paris 2024.

“Being able to represent your country is obviously a huge honour. I’ve been lucky enough to do it as an amateur – but this is the pinnacle and to be able to do it at a relatively early stage of my career is crazy to think.

“Ever since I heard that golf was coming back into the equation for the Olympics, it was definitely a goal of mine, but I didn’t really think it would be happening this early. I can’t wait to give it my best.”

Fox is currently ranked No. 63 in the world and is hopeful of contending in an Olympic field that includes current Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who won The Open at nine-under par to go with his PGA Championship win in May.

“I’m in a good place, the golf game feels a little scrappy, but compared to the last two (Olympics) I really feel like if my game turns up, I can compete with those guys and really contend for a medal,” Fox said.

The first rounds of Olympic golf will tee off at Golf National, home of the 2018 Ryder Cup, on August 1 almost a week after the opening ceremony, allowing for a couple of practice rounds.

Hillier shot rounds of 72 and 71 at last year’s French Open at the same venue, while Fox registered 75 and 68. Both Kiwis missed the cut.

“It’s a golf course that I really like, it’s really hard. I’m assuming we’re going to get beaten up again a little bit next week, which is cool. I think that’s what you want from an Olympics. An event of that magnitude has got to feel like a major and Golf National certainly will,” Fox said.

“It can play pretty tough – they can grow the rough out, tighten up the fairways, and it becomes an absolute beast. I’m not sure how it’s playing at the moment, but I imagine they’ll trick it up pretty good,” Hillier added.

“With the (Olympic) format, it’s a little different to what we’re used to. Sometimes you play a tournament, snag a top-10 and you’re happy with your work. But it’s top-three or bust out there.

“So, I think the game plan might have to be adjusted slightly, maybe a more aggressive outlook, hopefully doing that will see me make a few more birdies and make my way up the leaderboard.”

MEN'S GOLF - FULL FIELD:

Argentina: Emiliano Grillo and Alejandro Tosti, Australia: Jason Day and Min Woo Lee, Austria: Sepp Straka, Belgium: Thomas Detry and Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Canada: Nick Taylor and Corey Conners, Chile: Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, China: Zecheng Dou and Carl Yuan, Chinese Taipei: Kevin Yu and C.T. Pan, Colombia: Camilo Villegas and Nico Echavarria, Denmark: Nicolai Højgaard and Thorbjørn Olesen, Finland: Sami Valimaki and Tapio Pulkkanen, France: Matthieu Pavon and Victor Perez, Germany: Stephan Jaeger and Matti Schmid, Great Britain: Tommy Fleetwood and Matthew Fitzpatrick, India: Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ireland: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Italy: Matteo Manassero and Guido Migliozzi, Japan: Hideki Matsuyama and Keita Nakajima, Malaysia: Gavin Green, Mexico: Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, New Zealand: Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier, Norway: Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura, Paraguay: Fabrizio Zanotti, Poland: Adrian Meronk, Puerto Rico: Rafael Campos, South Korea: Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An, South Africa: Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen, Spain: Jon Rahm and David Puig, Sweden: Ludvig Åberg and Alex Noren, Switzerland: Joel Girrbach, Thailand: Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Phachara Khongwatmai, USA: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.