The Kiwi chats on his connections with the Middle East, his upcoming defence at Wentworth, the balancing act of two global tours, being a three-time Olympian and his relationship with The President’s Cup.
Ryan, your win in Ras Al Khaimah in 2022 was at the time, your biggest win outside of Australasia. How significant was that win at Al Hamra for you back then?
It was a really big win for me.
I’d had a tough run through Covid in 2020/21 and had a chunk of time off at the end of 2021. After a slow start in Abu Dhabi and Dubai I was a looking forward to heading back to Ras Al Khaimah.
I remembered playing well there on Challenge Tour and I liked the course. We were then there for two weeks during Covid, the first week I tweaked my back and missed the cut, but it was sorted for the second week and played great all week.
It was certainly an uncomfortable Sunday as I started with a huge lead and that all but disappeared early on Sunday, but I was really pleased with how I fought back through the middle of the round and I closed with a more flattering winning margin than it felt like out there.
To win so early in the season was great for the confidence and took the pressure off for a while and It really set me up for what happened the rest of 2022 and 23.
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Keeping it in the Middle East, you partnered with the Arena Group last year, how special is it to have been associated with them especially with the relationship they have with golf tournaments here?
It’s been great to be partnered with a company like Arena. They are an amazing bunch of people to be involved with and obviously their business is huge in the world of golf, and in the Middle East.
It all actually started in the Middle East from a Q&A visit to one of their chalets during the Dubai Desert Classic and it’s been a great partnership ever since.
2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic
From my point of view having an understanding of what Arena Group does especially in the golf space has really opened my eyes to what work goes on behind the scenes at tournaments.
As players we tend to take for granted all the temporary structures (Grandstands, Hospitality Etc.) as they are just part of an event, but I’ve really enjoyed learning a bit about how it all comes together and how much work goes on in a very short space of time to get it all ready for us to play at a venue.
This September you are returning to Wentworth as the defending champ, how special will that be? You became not only the first Kiwi to win the flagship event on the DP World Tour, but it was your first Rolex Series title, and with an added bonus of having your family in tow.
Honestly, it’s still a bit surreal to me what happened last year.
It’s such an iconic event on the DP World Tour and to be able to head back there as DC this year will be an amazing experience. To win my first Rolex Series title was a big one. I’d gone close a couple of times and it was nice to get over the line, especially it being the flagship event for the DP World Tour. It was probably the most unexpected one for me as I had generally never played very well at Wentworth.
To have the family there was pretty special too. Not sure the kids were quite old enough to understand what happened, but we had some pretty cool photos with them and the trophy.
Richard Heathcote
You really brought it home on the back nine with a six-under par 31. What are your overriding memories from that back nine, especially with the calibre of players at the top of the leaderboard?
That back nine is probably the best nine holes I ever played. I honestly thought I’d ruined my tournament after making seven on the third hole and I was just playing for a place after that.
I steadied the ship with a couple of birdies on the front nine and then just got hot on the back. I basically hit every shot exactly where I wanted to hit it, except for the tee shot on the 15th, which still wasn’t bad after a big delay.
I was so calm that whole back nine too and didn’t think about anything else except the golf shots and I really wish I could find that place a bit more.
I didn’t even think about who was on the leaderboard until I saw the leaderboard while waiting for the prize presentation.
I actually surprised myself when I saw the leaderboard and realised I’d beaten a lot of the Ryder Cup team down the stretch.
Would you say that win completely changed your season and the rest of 2023 on the DP World Tour?
Completely. I’d say it changed my career pretty much.
Obviously, it’s such an iconic event with some amazing names on the trophy. But it also locked up my status for a while and locked up a top 10 Race to Dubai Rankings finish and with it a PGA Tour card.
On that, how have you found that transition to the PGA Tour, and the balancing act of managing two tours?
Yeah, it’s been tough. I did a bit of it the year before and I was away a lot leaving the family at home and I missed a lot of things with the kids.
This year we decided to travel round the U.S. with the whole family. We did 20 weeks with the kids and by the end of it my wife and I were almost broken!
We didn’t have a base, and I played a lot which didn’t help but we had some good times too. My wife was a trooper managing to keep everything organised while on tour and the kids handled it pretty well, but we will definitely do it again a little differently next year with a base and hopefully less travel for the family.
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You’ve have Jamie Gough as a coach for a few years now. How beneficial has he been over that time? Looking in, there is something that bonds you guys together really well.
Having Goughie on board has been really good the last two and a half years.
We get along really well (and did so before we even worked together) and having someone to keep the swing in check week in week out has been huge for
my consistency.
We have worked consistently on a few things I’ve fought my whole career and that has paid off, and it felt like we never really tried to reinvent the wheel with my swing. It’s unique and I do a few funky things but I also do a lot of good things and I think we have gelled so well right from the start. Meeting Goughie has allowed me to keep my idiosyncrasies, while working subtly on getting things better and more consistent.
You notched your third Olympic Games this summer, would you class yourself as a veteran when it comes to competing in the Olympics? How contrasting have those three different games been?
Not sure I ever thought I would be an Olympian growing up let alone a three-time one. So I guess I am a veteran. I haven’t played overly well at the three I’ve been to, but getting to represent your country is something that I grew up wanting to do, and in golf you don’t get to do it that often. So to do it three times at the Olympics is very special.
They have been three very different games that’s for sure. Rio was a great experience and it was a great honour to make that team from being on the Challenge Tour. Tokyo was a tough week overall, just so many Covid restrictions and we didn’t really get to experience what the Olympics has to offer. Then Paris just now was unbelievable really. The crowds were amazing and the atmosphere on the course I think caught everyone by surprise.
It really felt like golf found its place in the Olympics in Paris and hopefully it only gets bigger.
Is this year’s President’s Cup on your mind, especially after missing out in 2022? Yeah it was a huge goal at the start of this year to get in. I felt like I gave myself a good chance in 2022 but obviously didn’t get a pick.
I don’t feel like I’ve played well enough this year to get a pick unfortunately. I started the qualifying period really well but this year hasn’t been what I would have liked. We will see what happens, but maybe 2026 will be my year.
Finally, a big push for you this season must be to qualify for the final two events on the DP World Tour in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. What does it mean to play in those elevated events at the end of the season?
Yeah, they are two events I’ve always enjoyed playing although my results don’t really show that. I’ve had two goals at the end of the season. First and foremost is to keep my PGA Tour card the second is to qualify for the DP World Tour playoffs at the end of the year.
It’s going to require some tough scheduling decisions and some good play, but I’ve got a bit of a break now so hopefully come back refreshed and in form for the latter part of the season on both tours.
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