Fox leads the hunt at Ras Al Khaimah Classic

Dubai - The New Zealander cards a nine-under 63 to lead by two strokes over Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia

Ryan Fox carded the best round of his DP World Tour career to storm into the lead at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, a nine-under 63, earning him a two-stroke lead in the Tour’s second successive event at Al Hamra Golf Club.

The New Zealander struggled with a back injury in last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital, but a combination of physio work and a putting tip from a fellow player helped him to turn things around this week.

Ten birdies and a bogey saw him soar to the summit with a 63 — a score he has once before carded at the 2018 Scottish Open, but on a par 70 course — and earned the 35-year-old the first round lead for just the third time in his DP World Tour career.

“I really enjoyed it, it’s the first time I’ve shot nine under out here on this Tour,” said Fox.

“I’ve shot some pretty low scores at home but struggled to bring that out here at times. It was nice to get in the zone, I just felt like I had control of the golf ball.”

Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, who graduated through the Challenge Tour for a second time last year, sits in outright second place after a seven under 65, while nine players share third place on six under, including Scot Robert MacIntyre and in-form Englishman Richard Bland.

“I am very happy, it was a great round, I played solid,” said Gouveia. “I put the ball in play which was what didn’t happen last week, so if you do that you can create a lot of chances and I holed a lot of putts which helped.

Fans can access the Ras Al Khaimah Classic event free of charge. No ticket or registration is needed.