‘We watched history’: Whanganui expat gets front-row seat to Fox’s British Open glory

News
Sport

Author: Mike Tweed,
Publish Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2026, 4:14pm

NZ Golf operations and championships general manager Dave Mangan (inset) was a referee at the British Open and had front-row seats for Ryan Fox's winning putt. Photo / Getty Images, Supplied

Whanganui expat Dave Mangan “watched history” at Royal Birkdale this month, with a front-row seat for Ryan Fox’s British Open victory.

Mangan, NZ Golf’s general manager of championships and golf operations, was refereeing Patrick Reed and Adam Scott on the final day but finished by the time Fox reached the sixth hole.

“When he made the winning putt, we raced from the grandstand to the practice putting green and managed to blag our way in to see him,” he said.

“It was pretty amazing, one of the greatest moments for sport in New Zealand.

“To spend the next 10 or so hours with him after he won was a real privilege.”

Mangan said the victory was celebrated “well and hard”.

“It’s a good thing I had an extra day here before I headed home.”

The 39-year-old sealed victory with a birdie on the final hole to claim the coveted Claret Jug.

After his massive victory, Fox poured a Bordeaux red wine into the trophy, had to empty it for interviews and photos, then quickly filled it again.

“I can confirm that claret tastes better out of the Claret Jug,” Mangan said.

Fox was the first golfer ranked outside the world’s top 50 to win a major since 2011.

But Mangan said he did not class Fox as an outsider for the title.

“I was surprised with that ranking because he won two PGA tour events last year.

“If he brings his best for a week, he’s certainly someone that’s going to win a major.”

There were 50,000 people at the open each day, “a cauldron the size of Eden Park”, Mangan said.

“But they’re not watching 30 players on the field. It’s just two guys out there.

“All those eyes were on him for the putt, and he holed it to win. We watched history.”

Born and raised in Whanganui, Mangan said he tried to play at Belmont with his father, long-time GP Alan Mangan, whenever he was home and that “it’s a fantastic course”.

Fox may have played in the city at an amateur event in 2008, he said.

“I’ve known Ryan since he was a young fella coming through the ranks, then he turned pro.

“Genuinely, he’s one of the best human beings going around.

“He plays the game at refreshing pace and just gets on with it.”

Fox, the first New Zealander to win the British Open since Sir Bob Charles in 1963, has now risen to a ranking of 22nd in the world.

Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast, Fox admitted he spent most of the night celebrating before heading to the airport.

“I know that my life is going to change pretty significantly,” he said.

“I don’t think it’ll change where we live or what we do, I think we’re pretty happy with all of that, but it just does open a lot of doors going forward and I’m looking forward to seeing what some of those doors are, to be honest. I don’t even know where to start thinking about it.”

Fox gets to keep the Claret Jug for a year and has been given a slightly smaller replica.

He said he can’t wait to bring the trophy back to New Zealand.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.