Charlotte (AFP) – Who needs extra time to prepare? Ryan Fox only had days to get ready for the PGA Championship, and Alex Smalley made the field only hours before the start, but both were among Thursday’s leaders at Quail Hollow. New Zealand’s Fox and Smalley, from nearby Greensboro, each fired a four-under-par 67 to rank near the top of the leaderboard after 18 holes.
Fox booked his place in the field of 156 last Sunday by winning his first PGA title at the Myrtle Beach Classic and played a practice round Wednesday. “That was the only thing I did preparation-wise, basically, hit a few balls on Tuesday and played one hole before the storm came in,” he said. “It hasn’t been the ideal prep.” Fox chipped in for birdie to win a Myrtle Beach playoff and qualify for the PGA Championship. “I was in contention. I hit a lot of really good shots. I probably took more out of that than the actual chip-in,” he said. “I just try to take the same theory this week. Just pick my targets, hit my shots and trust that I’m playing well. It’s amazing what finding a bit of confidence can do. Like all of a sudden the bad shots that were irking me a couple of weeks ago didn’t seem to matter quite so much today.”
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Fox, the son of All Blacks rugby legend Grant Fox, has taken some advice from his famous father. “Hard work beats talent. If you work hard to be the best you can be, you can live with whatever happens,” Fox said. “That’s what Dad drilled into me as a kid…I certainly learnt a lot off him growing up.”
Smalley was an alternate who made the field on Wednesday afternoon when Sahith Theegala withdrew with a back injury, giving him little time to get ready for a Thursday morning tee time. “I really prepared just like any other week,” Smalley said. “It was interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you hear about everybody’s ailments being first alternate as well.”
Smalley was set to wait for everyone to tee off in hopes of getting his chance. “I was prepared to be here all day if I didn’t get in yesterday,” he said. “I feel for Sahith but it was nice to know before the morning that I was going to play so I could mentally prepare for that. Knowing last night put me in a good space that I could go out and do my typical routine.”
It wasn’t Smalley’s first run with the waiting game. “I’ve been first alternate a few other times,” he said. “Two or three years ago at Riviera, I got the call at 5:15-5:20 Thursday morning I was in, and similar situation in Houston. I guess I’ve had decent luck at first alternate before — but I don’t really want to be in that position anymore.”
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