The stars are finally aligning for Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox, as he puts a disappointing couple of years behind him to reach the same heights as before COVID-19 devastated the sporting world.
Fox will compete at the US PGA Championship in Oklahoma next week, following his top-10 finish at the British Masters.
The result bumped him to 106th in the world rankings and was good enough to guarantee a start at the Southern Hills Country Club in his 12th Major.
Fox last played in the tournament in 2019, missing the cut, and will continue to prepare in Europe this week by contesting the newest DP World Tour event in Belgium.
The 35-year-old is intent on moving past a challenging couple of years, with many of the world's COVID restrictions finally easing and encouraging results, including his eighth-place finish at the British Masters and winning the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.
"Anyone that's had anyone overseas has had to deal with some pretty nasty stuff," Fox said.
"I've had to travel as well, I've had to deal with MIQ and all of that. At high-level sport, those little things make a big difference.
"When you're thinking about stuff going on outside the golf course, having a family as well, the travel restrictions make seeing them harder than it would've in a normal situation. I think that affected me a little bit off the golf course.
"At the start of this year, the golf game felt like it's been really close for quite a while and maybe just a little bit of that pressure coming off from outside influences made me enjoy being on the golf course a bit better.
"Having a win as well, having the pressure off makes it easier to play well and not worry about results as much as I probably was the last couple of years."
Last year, Fox revealed his mental health struggles and the toll of being away from his family had taken.
Like so many Kiwis abroad, his ability to return home for Christmas with his family came down to the luck of the MIQ lottery draw.
"After 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," he said.
"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.
"Trying to perform at a high level at that point is very hard to do and I certainly didn't handle it very well."
With much of 2021's hardships behind him, Fox is eyeing up a spot at the British Open Championship at Birmingham in July, but is under no illusion how tough that will be.
"Getting into the Open Championship is another one, I certainly don't want to miss that," he said.
"The goal every year is to get into the top 50 in the world and winning early helps. I need to win a couple more times, if I want to get to that point, but it's been a good start.
"I think it's something that's achievable, but it's also obviously very hard to do as well. I'm certainly a lot better off than I was anywhere over the last couple of years.
"When I do play my best, I can compete with the best players in the world, it's just trying to do that a lot more consistently."
