Ryan Fox’s high, soft 3-wood to close out his playoff win over Sam Burns at the Canadian Open on Sunday was a stunner.
“Probably the best shot I’ve ever hit,” Fox said afterward, and who are we to disagree with him?
Playing the 18th hole for the fourth consecutive time — once in regulation and for a third time in the playoff — Fox launched a power fade that seemed to hang in the air forever before touching down softly and stopping quickly, about seven feet left of the hole.
“I like hitting a cut,” Fox said later. “I had the exact shot I wanted to hit. I wasn’t sure in the air if it was going to be a little short or perfect.”
It was the latter.
Ryan Fox’s swing is built for a controlled power fade. When I study his move, I see three important elements that allow him to produce this kind of shot. I call them the 3 T’s: turn, tuck and tilt. Each is responsible for creating an open clubface, and when executed properly in unison, as Fox showed, the result can be a thing of beauty. Here are the 3 Ts, plus how to practice them at home:
‘Probably the best shot I’ve ever hit’: Ryan Fox’s 3-wood in RBC Canadian Open playoff
In a playoff at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open, Ryan Fox made birdie on the 4th playoff hole.
1. Turn
Rotation of the lower body in the forward swing is crucial. When observed from down line, I can see a huge differential in the upper body to lower body alignment. His shoulders are pointed toward the right of the green and his hip alignment is left of the camera tower — incredible!
Try this drill at home: Face a wall in your golf posture close enough to place your hands at shoulder height. Slowly twist your hips open toward the lead foot and hold. This stretch will help increase the difference between your upper and lower body.
2. Tuck
Ryan’s right elbow is tucked in close to his side, giving him a shallow path to the ball with an open clubface.
Try this drill at home: Hold a club in front of you and without turning, tuck your trail elbow in to your side. You will see the clubface opening and the shaft point more away from you. This element can help if you are too steep or shut with your club.
3. Tilt
Ryan’s final “swing T” is tilting away from the target. Tilt is measured from face on and is the degrees of side bend away from the target. I measure tilt from the belt buckle to the buttons on the player’s shirt. This move helps deliver the club with precision, especially with longer clubs like the 3-wood.
Try this drill at home: Set up with a shaft in between your feet pointed at the ball to help you see the ball position. Next, keep your head and upper body tilted back, away from the target side. Practice this perspective with longer swings to get the feel for tilting to the trail side at impact.
