Ryan Fox fires five-over 77 in Masters opening round as Augusta cut looms

Ryan Fox has made a difficult start to the 2026 Masters, carding a five-over-par 77 in the opening round at Augusta National as the New Zealand golfer battles to recover his best form following a period of illness that disrupted his season earlier this year.

Fox, competing in his third Masters appearance, dropped shots on five of the first seven holes on Thursday, with back-to-back bogeys at the opening two holes immediately putting him on the back foot. All of the damage came on the front nine, and while the 39-year-old managed to steady over the inward half, a round of 77 leaves him in a share of 76th place. The projected cut is sitting at one-over-par, with only the top 50 players and ties advancing to the weekend, meaning Fox faces a considerable challenge in round two if he is to extend his Masters campaign.

The result continues a difficult stretch for the Auckland-born golfer, who missed two PGA Tour events earlier this season due to kidney stones before returning at the Texas Children’s Houston Open a fortnight ago. That comeback resulted in his first missed cut of the PGA Tour season, and while he told RNZ ahead of this week’s tournament that he was feeling “pretty close” to top form following the illness, the rust was evident during an uncomfortable front nine on Thursday at Augusta National.

Augusta National places a premium on precision from the tee and creativity around the greens, and the early holes particularly exposed Fox’s lack of competitive sharpness heading into the week. The opening hole, a long par-four that demands an accurate approach to a heavily contoured green, set the tone when Fox dropped a shot, before another bogey at the second compounded the problems. By the time he had played through the first seven holes, Fox had made five bogeys, a sequence that effectively ended any chance of a low round and left him needing to play damage limitation for the remainder of the day.

Conditions at Augusta were relatively benign by the course’s exacting standards on Thursday, which made Fox’s scorecard all the more difficult to absorb. Rory McIlroy and American Sam Burns shared the early clubhouse lead at five-under-par after both returned rounds of 67, taking advantage of receptive greens and calm afternoon conditions. Their scores illustrate the gap Fox will need to close not only to make the cut but to compete meaningfully over the weekend, as the NZ Herald reported.

Fox is playing alongside South African Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and American Max Greyserman in the opening two rounds. Schwartzel brings deep Augusta experience to the group and has long been considered one of the more instinctive readers of Augusta National’s famous contours and slopes. For Fox, competing alongside a former champion provides at least some reference point for navigating the course’s many subtleties.

Despite the difficult start, Fox has shown in previous Masters appearances that he has the game to handle Augusta. He debuted at the tournament in 2023 and finished tied for 26th, an impressive result that announced him as a genuine major contender on the world stage. He followed that with a tied 38th finish the following year, and those performances suggest Fox understands what Augusta National demands even if Thursday’s opening round did not reflect that understanding.

Fox carries a world ranking of 51 into the tournament, the product of a career that has included wins on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He comes from sporting royalty — his father Grant Fox was one of the great All Blacks first-five-eighths of the 1980s and early 1990s — though Ryan has carved his own path in professional golf entirely on his own terms. After years of building his reputation on the European circuit, including victories at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, and the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Fox made the move to the PGA Tour and cemented his place among the sport’s leading players with a breakthrough win at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Beyond the Masters itself, the tournament carries additional weight for Fox given his goals for the season. The New Zealander has spoken openly about his desire to earn a spot in the Presidents Cup, which pits an international team against the United States, and strong performances at marquee events are central to building the points needed for selection. A missed cut at Augusta would not derail those ambitions entirely, but a strong weekend showing would provide a timely boost to his campaign just as the season enters its most consequential stretch.

The front nine at Augusta has historically separated the contenders from the field, and Fox will know better than most that the back nine offers opportunities to claw back ground. The famous Amen Corner stretch — holes eleven, twelve and thirteen — is where Masters fortunes swing dramatically each year, with the short par-three twelfth over Rae’s Creek capable of wrecking even the best-laid rounds. Fox will need to navigate that stretch without incident and make full use of the par-five thirteenth if he is to post the low round required in round two.

Round two at Augusta National tees off on Friday, with Fox needing to produce something close to his best golf to have any realistic chance of making the weekend. New Zealand golf fans will be watching closely as he attempts to turn his Masters campaign around and demonstrate that the kidney stone setback is firmly in the past.

What do you think of Ryan Fox’s chances at Augusta this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.