Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox confesses 2021 has been a particularly tough year because of the ongoing frustrations dealing with COVID-19 and New Zealand's MIQ system.
The Kiwi golf star admits it's all taken a toll on his mental health, as he's tried to stay focused on the course while trying to tee up seeing his family off it.
Like so many Kiwis abroad, Fox's ability to return home for Christmas with his family came down to the luck of the MIQ lottery draw.
"After what’s been a tricky year, just having time to wind down and relax and do a bit of fishing and play a little bit of social golf has been a godsend," Fox tells Newshub.
It hasn’t been an easy year - both on and off the course - for the 34 year-old, with travel restrictions forcing him to spend lengthy stints away from his young family.
“Travel issues with coming here and trying to get spots with MIQ has been pretty frustrating," Fox admits.
Job security also became an issue, as pressure mounted to ensure Fox locked in a card for next year's European tour.
"Probably didn't tick off many of the goals that I set out at the start of 2021… but those goal posts changed pretty quickly early in the year, so it was just a good year to get a job and get home for Christmas," he notes.
Now that he’s home, Fox is feeling a sense of relief, after battling with mental health issues throughout 2021.
"Probably the hardest thing for me was feeling like I had to be in Europe and not know when I will see the family again," Fox says.
"Trying to perform at a high level at that point is very hard to do and I certainly didn’t handle it very well."
He wasn’t the only one struggling, with wife Anneke having to go above and beyond to care for their daughter.
“She found It pretty tough this year - being sort of a solo caregiver for quite a while when I was away with no support," says Fox of his wife.
"Hopefully next year, in that sense, everything will be a bit more normal”
But 2022 promises to be anything but normal for the NZ No. 1, as the Omicron variant spreads around the world, leaving hijm unsure if he'll be able to play the NZ Open at the end of March.
"Things seem to be changing pretty quickly both for good and bad at the moment, so we won't really make any concrete plans until April, May next year," says Fox.
For now, he’s excited to simply have a chance to chill out and enjoy a classic Kiwi summer with his family.
“Feeling a lot more refreshed, a lot happier going into 2022 and let's hope that most of the COVID issues are behind us, or at least starting to go behind us."
Fox is likely to rejoin the European Tour in January.
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