News All Articles
2016 highlights: Kofstad and Fox hunt for Rio places
Highlights

2016 highlights: Kofstad and Fox hunt for Rio places

With little more than a month to go before golf returned to the Olympic Games, Ryan Fox and Espen Kofstad teed off at the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge knowing they were in with a chance of earning spots at Rio de Janeiro.

Espen Kofstad (Photo by Ota Mràkota/Relemost)

Norway’s Kofstad arrived at Penati Golf Resort knowing he needed a top-two finish if he was to be his country’s sole representative in the men’s competition, while ahead of the final round Fox realised he needed to claim at least a share of seventh if he was to edge out fellow New Zealander Mike Hendry, who, given the time difference, had set the target with a fourth place finish in Japan that morning.

Kofstad, a European Challenge Tour Number One in 2012, came into the final day with work to do after shooting a three over par third round of 75 – leaving him four shots off the lead.

Knowing what was at stake, the 29 year old showed nerves of steel, shooting a stunning eight under par 64 to take the clubhouse lead, before beating Romain Langasque in a two-hole play-off.

“I’ve been going for it all year,” said Kofstad after being crowned champion in Slovakia. “I’ve been getting closer and closer to getting in but it’s all about playing well and winning golf tournaments.

“I left it late, until the last hole, but winning solves a lot of things and I think it now has solved this one and got me into Rio.”

Espen Kofstad

While Kofstad charged up the leaderboard during a phenomenal final round, Fox left it late to secure his place in South America – where he would join forces with Danny Lee.

On a day where conditions were ideal, England’s Garrick Porteous carded an 11 under par round of 61 to smash the course record at Penati Golf Resort in the first group out, but the big-hitting Kiwi was only level par until the 14thhole and at risk of being overtaken by all around him.

The 29 year old then came alive, though, making back-to-back eagles on holes 14 and 15 – the 783-yard par six, the longest hole in Europe – to pick up four shots and rise up the leaderboard.

Though he missed birdie chances coming in, his 15 under par total was enough for tied fourth, and his Olympic involvement.

“The Olympics is the pinnacle sporting event worldwide,” said Fox, who became the third generation of his family to represent his country when he teed it up in Rio.

Ryan Fox of New Zealand during his practice round

“It was a pretty frustrating day until the 14th. I’d hit it to inside 30ft on every hole, hit a couple really close, and not made a thing. If I hit a good drive on 14 I can get it to front edge and I got it absolutely perfect, then holed a nice little 20 footer off the fringe.

“I figured after that I had a chance, if I could get to 16 or 17 under par, and obviously 15 is an eagle chance as well – I hit three good shots down there, put a nine iron to within ten feet and holed that and thought I had a pretty good chance to win the tournament.

“Fair play to Espen, he was in the same boat as me, we both needed to play exceptionally well – well, he needed to play exceptionally well, I needed to play pretty well – to get that Olympic spot.

“I was looking at it and I’d heard that if Hendry finished outside the top eight I didn’t need to finish in the Ranking points to get in. Obviously he finished fourth, so that made life a bit more stressful, and I’ve got two holes to thank for it.

“Early I struggled with it a little bit I think. I really struggled with the putter, but when I holed for eagle on 14 my mentality switched a bit – I was only a couple back and instead of playing for a top five I was going for the win.

“I hit some great shots coming in but didn’t hole a putt, but I guess it was easier at that point when I was chasing a win rather than trying to hold onto a score like I had been doing earlier in the day.

“I’m the third generation of my family to represent New Zealand in three different sports – my mum’s dad played cricket for New Zealand in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s and my old man [Grant Fox] obviously played for the All Blacks.

“That’s a pretty cool thing to have done, to have been an Olympian and part of our family legacy.”

The pair were joined in Rio by José-Filipe Lima, who partnered 2015 Road to Oman champion Ricardo Gouveia in an all-Challenge Tour Portugal team.

José-Filipe Lima

Fox and Lima then went on to earn their European Tour cards by finishing in the top 16 in the Rankings, while Kofstad will also join them in the 2017 Race to Dubai after successfully negotiating the Final Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School.

The Olympic golf was dominated by two other Challenge Tour alumni, with Justin Rose memorably holding off Henrik Stenson to win the gold medal on the final afternoon.

Read next