Kiwi Ryan Fox has climbed into second on the European Tour rankings, despite letting victory slip between his fingers at the Mallorca Open.
Fox, 35, shared the overnight lead in Spain with German rookie Yannik Paul, but fell from contention with a three-over-par 74 on the final day, still good enough for fourth equal with Englishman Dale Whitnell.
Paul also began his fourth round with a pair of bogeys and finished over par with 72, trailling Englishman Marcus Armitage by two shots with three holes to play, but was clutch on the last, where he slotted a 15ft birdie putt to win by one.
The result elevates the Kiwi one spot on tour rankings, leapfrogging US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and trailling only four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy. Significantly, Fox has played twice as many tournaments as his rivals, who split time between the European and US professional tours.
Fox is enjoying his best season as a pro, with wins at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in February and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews earlier this month. He also lost the Dutch Open in a playoff with Frenchman Victor Perez in May.
The tour scheduled continues at the Portugal Masters next week and Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa (November 13), before the tour championship at Dubai, starting November 20.
