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Ryan Fox achieved golf immortality by winning The Open at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, holing a 72nd-hole birdie at Royal Birkdale for his maiden Major title
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the physical and emotional toil of the occasion, which took place in wall-to-wall sunshine throughout, the popular New Zealander has withdrawn from this week’s PGA Tour event, the 3M Open.
Playing in the Minnesota tournament would have meant a quick turnaround for Fox, with the first round beginning just four days after Sunday's final round at The Open.
However, instead Fox is taking a well-earned break as the reality of becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year sinks in.
Following his victory, which also made him just the fourth New Zealander to win a Major after Bob Charles, Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko, described the feeling of winning.
He said: "Surreal, to be honest. It's something you dream of. I used to get up in the middle of the night to watch this tournament back home.
"It was always something that was there just to be able to play in it, first up, and now to be an Open champion, to be the Champion Golfer of the Year, it's unbelievable, surreal, crazy. I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to explain it, to be honest."
Fox’s withdrawal opens the door for two-time PGA Tour winner Fabian Gomez to take his place at the TPC Twin Cities. He finished T42 at the PGA Tour’s Corales Puntacana Championship, which was played at the same time as The Open.
The Claret Jug winner isn’t the only player from The Open to withdraw from the event. Eric Cole, who tied for 53rd at Royal Birkdale following a final round of 75, also withdrew on Sunday, with Charley Hoffman taking his place in the 144-player field.
Chan Kim withdrew on Saturday, with Henrik Norlander his replacement.
While the withdrawals will be a blow to the tournament organizers, there is still some serious star quality in the field, not least the player at the top of the world rankings, Scottie Scheffler.
The American, who placed T4 at Royal Birkdale in the defence of his title, normally takes some time away from competitive action following The Open to prepare for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
However, his surprising inclusion in the 3M Open field was confirmed in May, when he told the tournament’s official website: “I'm looking forward to playing the 3M Open for the first time.
"I've heard great things about the event and I'm excited to get to Minnesota and compete at TPC Twin Cities."
Defending champion Kurt Kitayama also plays, while another big name in the field is 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama.
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