Marcus Wheelhouse: Ryan Fox's coach celebrates Kiwi victory at The Open Championship

Ryan Fox has won The Open Championship, becoming the third Kiwi ever to take home the title. 

He's been praised for his efforts by Sir Bob Charles, who won the same title sixty years ago.

Fox's coach Marcus Wheelhouse told Mike Hosking that he's still in a state of disbelief. 

'Yeah, so, so many deep breaths are going on at the moment and, states of disbelief and, and excitement and yeah, all, those emotions. It's incredible.'

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So sporting highlight of the year in the early hours
of this morning is Ryan Fox won the Open at
the Royal Birkdale and in doing so joins Michael Campbell
twenty years ago, Bob Charles sixty ish years ago as
one of only three New Zealanders ever to win a
men's major. Marcus Wheelhouse as as coach, and he's with
us Marcus morning, Good morning, Mike. How are you well?
I'm not as well as you and certainly not as
well as Ryan. Is it sinking in and feeling good?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Not really, it's the brother's feeling good. Yeah, look amazing,
like just yeah, so so many deep breaths are going
on at the moment and states of disbelief and excitement
and yeah, all those emotions.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's incredible. So did it all change with the sixty two?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Look, you know, I guess it. Yeah, I mean it did.
I mean, obviously there was a goal for this year
to get sort of into contention for a major. So
the sixty two got brought us that. And then you know,
you've got to think, I mean, you know, to win
golf TOURNTS is so hard, It's so difficult, and and
so you know, even in that position this morning when

(01:08):
we're warming up and everything else that'sat around what we
did in the process. It was just a matter of
trying to just you know, keep things normal, you know,
as much as we could, and and and and we
did that and then you know, we always knew it
was going to get abnormal out on the golf course.
But it's an open right, So yeah, no, it's crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
What's your role at that point when he's in the
final pairing on the final day.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
I suppose just assurance, you know, like obviously, you know,
when when the gun goes off, like when he sees off,
I've got you know, there's no there's no part for
me to play apart from just being a really nervous observer.
So yeah, it's it's it's really just my you know,
job is to is to make sure that he's happy,
you know, and and and trusting what he's doing and

(01:56):
and yeah, pretty much in that space where you can
just let it go and just go and play golf
and that's why he's good at right, So that's what
that's my job.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
It appeared, I mean, it affected every one in the
field the same way. But the benign conditions, the entire tournament.
I mean, that's a dream come true in links golf,
isn't it, especially in that part of the world.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Yeah, I guess it is. You know, like Fox is,
you know, an unbelievabin player, right, so it never you
never really worried me or asked about that, but yeah,
I suppose you know, when you look at links golf,
it's it's certainly a type of golf, and you know,
with hard greens and running it up and bump and
runs and all the things that's around it. So yeah,

(02:36):
just just just amazing.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Exactly when eighteenth he hadn't booted the thing, I think
two pars and a bogie and what are you thinking?
You just leave it to him? He looked confident. To me,
he looked perfectly normal.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, I don't think he was like that underneath it,
but yeah, I mean, look, you know, I mean Fox
he's you know, he's got such you know, he's gussier,
you know, like it's he's a he's a winner. He's
proven that. You know, when he gets a sniff, it's
it's a it's a real you know, it's a chance
and he pushes a go button and it's And today

(03:15):
was just an example that you know, once he got
in the hunted, there's no back off. You know, he
knew what he had to do with with obviously Cam
Young and at nine and you know, he was out
there and with with some sort of freedom, just going right,
I'm just going to try and win this golf on them,
and uh and today he did.

Speaker 1 (03:33):
And it's amazing, not that it matters, but would you
have backed him in a playoff?

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, I would have, you know, like you never know.
I mean, hey, look it's it's it's all things that
that could have woordered. But yeah, like I do, I
back him under pressure and as I said before, you
know that he thrives on that stuff. He's he's just
an im proven winner. And it's I mean, he has
lost a couple of playoffs in his time, but he's
you know, but he's won.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
A couple of we I mean, obviously I know where
this sits. But the last time most of the country
focused heavily on and was when he when he had
those wins on the PGA. This this there's Trump's the
PGA obviously, but I mean this is the pinnacle, isn't it.
That doesn't get any better than this?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
No, it doesn't. And it's you know, I think the
Open Trophy, you know, as the player jugs so to speak,
is you know, just one of those things such a
special event. You know, he's he's had a lot of
success on links golf in the past, you know, winning
the Dunhill and playing well in the Irish Opens and
the Scottish Opens, et cetera. So you know he was
always in that, you know, and that held in that

(04:37):
regard of being a great links player. So so this
is very apt from to win you know, the Open Championship.
But it's it's so freaking hard to win these golf
talants and there's so many great players, and you know
obviously everything's got to go your way and and and
but you know, it's it's hard work, and it's different
things that sit around, you know, the luck and you know,

(04:59):
all those of the things that make up winning sporting events.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Well, what's your sense of it. Does it take him
to the next level?

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, I mean it's there's no doubt. Right, It's you're
sitting in a very small group in New Zealand, well,
three players that have everyone a major. I mean it's
you know, like you can nobody can ever take that
away from him. Now you know, he's a major winner,
and I think it's just I mean, I'm so stoked
for him. It's it's crazy.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, so she'll be and and not to put two
fine a point on it, Marcus, but people who follow
golf know your role in his success, so you must
take at least a decent amount of credit for this.
And I hope you feel.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
That, Yeah, I do. You know, like it's just on
the phone to Anika and his wife, and you know,
we've been together for fifteen years, and it's it's just
I'm very just incredibly proud of him and what he's
done and and just the way he is and the
human he is as well. So there's multiple levels of
pride in that. And and yeah, I am, I'm I'm

(06:00):
really proud of myself. I think it's it's it's always
been a goal of mine to want a major And
I haven't said that out loud to too many people,
but you know, like, now that's happened, it's just like holy,
holy hicca. You know, it's yeah, it's pretty surreal, very surreal.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
It's fantastic. We're stock for you. Go well and appreciate
your time. Very much, good to talk to you appreciate it.
Marcus Wheelhouse, Ah, he's, as I say, Ryan's doing the
international thing at the moment, So when he gets into
the lounge where Marcus is at the moment at Royal Birkdale,
we'll get him on the program. What a Morning Game
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, Listen live to
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(06:40):
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