“It's kind of surreal” - Ryan Fox on winning the 2022 Seve Ballesteros Award

Ryan Fox won the 2022 Seve Ballesteros Award after being voted the Player of the Year last season by his fellow DP World Tour professionals.

Fox, 36, became the first player from New Zealand to win the prestigious Seve Ballesteros Award since Michael Campbell in 2005. Fox had a remarkable last season, during which he secured two victories and achieved a career-best second place in the DP World Tour Rankings.

The Kiwi received 50% of the votes cast by the DP World Tour members. Fox's ranking was followed by the DP World Tour Rankings winner Rory McIlroy and the 2022 U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick in second and third position, respectively.

The award was presented to Fox by Seve Ballesteros' son Javier and daughter Carmen, who traveled to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour to officially crown Fox as the award's winner. Seve himself won the Dubai event in 1992.

The Player of the Year Award, named after the legendary Seve Ballesteros, was combined with the former Golfer of the Year award last year to create one singular honor, voted on by the players, helping honor Ballesteros' remarkable legacy.

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"It's kind of surreal," Ryan Fox on winning the 2022 Seve Ballesteros Award

As per Ryan Fox, he never expected to receive this honor in his career, but it was something he had always dreamed of. Fox stated:

"But you look at those names on the trophy and I probably don't count myself as one of those. That is pretty cool, and to have Javier and Carmen come out and present it made it even more special."

The Kiwi star felt he had a chance, but the likes of McIlroy, Rahm, and Fitzpatrick had a remarkable second half of the season.

"So when Keith Pelley told me I was pretty shocked and obviously pretty chuffed as well. To have your peers vote for you makes it that extra bit special."

Fox added that since he grew up in New Zealand, he didn't quite realize the impact of Seve while growing up. In his thank-you speech, Ryan said:

"It's cool to hear the stories from some of the older guys that played with him, but to have my name on the Seve Ballesteros Award, it's kind of surreal."

He continued:

“Ryan is not only an immensely popular member of the DP World Tour, but also someone who cares deeply for the Tour as is illustrated by the valuable work he does, and the intelligent opinions he offers, as a member of our Tournament Committee," Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said.

Javier Ballesteros, Seve's son, said that he was happy that Ryan won the award and said Fox deserved it for his consistency throughout the season.

"It left me very happy, considering he's a fantastic guy as well."

He added that he was proud to honor his father's name through the award, terming it an excellent way to carry the legend's legacy forward.

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A remarkable 2020 season for Ryan Fox

Ryan Fox won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last year

The 2016 Challenge Tour graduate began 2022 with a win at the Ras al Khaimah Classic in February, his second DP World Tour title, before an emotional triumph at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews in October.

Fox dedicated his victory at the Home of Golf to the late Shane Warne, a cricketing legend who passed away last year. Fox frequently used to partner with Warne in the Pro-Am format. The duo even had a runner-up finish in the 2021 contest.

Apart from victories, Fox had a runner-up finish on four occasions last year - at the Soudal Open, Dutch Open, Horizon Irish Open, and the Nedbank Golf Challenge. Apart from this, he had four other top-ten finishes as well.

The remarkable consistency led him to a meteoric rise in the OWGR as he jumped from outside the top 200 into the top 50, achieving his career-best World No. 23 after his win at the Old Course.