Kiwi Ryan Fox has secured his best finish to date on the PGA Tour at the Zurich Classic teams event in New Orleans.
After starting the day in a share of 27th and seven shots off the pace, Fox and South African Garrick Higgo bolted to the line with a seven-under-par 65 in Monday's (NZ time) fourth and final round to finish in a tie for fourth place.
They finished just two shots behind Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, who prevailed in a playoff to take home the spoils.
The result improves on his previous best finish of 11th at the World Cup of Gold back in 2016.
McIlroy, the four-time major champ from Northern Ireland, and Lowry, his Irish friend, fellow major winner and onetime Ryder Cup teammate, put the Zurich on their schedule hoping to jump up the FedEx Cup standings. They'll each receive 400 FedEx Cup points after defeating Chad Ramey and France's Martin Trainer on the first playoff hole.
After starting the day seven shots off the lead, Ramey and Trainer fired a nine-under 63 in Monday's round of foursomes (alternate shot) to head to the clubhouse at 25-under 263. Other teams in the 25-under range soon wobbled and fell back - including McIlroy and Lowry, for a brief time, before they rebounded from a bogey at No. 17 with a birdie at the par-five 18th hole to force the playoff.
They returned to the 18th tee to begin the playoff, and Ramey's second shot hooked left over the gallery. Trainer couldn't hit his third shot hard enough onto the green. Meanwhile, Lowry put his team in the bunker on the second shot but McIlroy made a nice recovery shot - similar to his pitch shot on the 72nd hole to set up Lowry's 5-foot birdie that forced the playoff.
Lowry's birdie try in the playoff came to rest inches right of the cup, but Trainer pushed his short par putt that would have extended the playoff.
It marked McIlroy's 25th PGA Tour win and Lowry's third. Lowry had not won on U.S. soil since August 2015.
Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard shot a 69 and finished one shot out of the playoff after finishing with four straight pars. Brehm missed a must-have birdie at No. 18.
Reuters/Newshub.
