Ryan Fox overcomes the potential hurdle of his family name

Opinion - I have never envied the sons and daughters of famous athletes.

Never sneered at them, never thought they had it easy, never believed that they traded off their surname.

Theirs is a hard lot, especially if they go into the family business.

If you're good then, of course you are, you've been given every chance to succeed. Genes, money, equipment, coaching. No wonder you're doing well.

But, if you're not so good - or at least not as good as your parent - then some people will enjoy that. They'll take pleasure in your struggles because, actually, they never really liked your mum or your dad in the first place.

I admire golfer Ryan Fox for many reasons, but top of that list is for surviving being the son of All Black Grant Fox.

I'll give an example. Years and years ago, when Fox was representing Auckland in a provincial tournament at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, I was sent to interview him. Not because he was good at golf, not because Auckland were doing well in the event, but because of who his dad was.

Imagine being Ryan Fox and having to put up with that. Imagine all the people, over all the years, who wanted to chat to you about your dad. Not you so much, or your achievements, but what it's like to be the son of a famous person and how your dad feels about how the golf's going.

Imagine the shadow Grant Fox cast over young Ryan. An All Blacks great, who was absolutely elite in his field, before becoming an accomplished businessman, commentator and then national rugby selector.

Grant Fox hadn't just been in the public eye, he remained very much in it.

I mentioned surviving before and I meant it. I've known children in similar situations to Fox's who flagged playing sport, because the weight of their surname was too much.

Those who did stay in sport, like Fox, invariably sought a different code to their parent, where they might stand a better chance of being judged on their own merits.

And here Fox is now, not just making a living as a professional golfer, but winning prestigious tournaments too. It's quite an accomplishment.

Not only that, he seems remarkably unaffected. There's an everyman quality to Fox that, again, is hugely admirable.

Since Tiger Woods came onto the scene, golfers have become real athletes. They look immaculate, with beautiful swings and not a hair out of place.

Fox, for a professional golfer, is a little scruffy. He's not chiselled from granite or blessed with a swing that attracts awe from commentators and fans alike.

Elite golfers have stylists, coordinating this week's outfits and organising photoshoots. Put Fox in a pair of rugby shorts and work boots and he'd pass for one of the tradesmen down at your local pub.

At a time where style seems to have more importance than substance, Fox is something of a throwback to a bygone era.

And, boy, is he a great ball-striker.

It was real heart-in-the-mouth stuff, watching him try to close out victory, on the DP World Tour earlier this week.

I don't tend to be engaged enough to get nervous watching sport, but I was so eager to see Fox succeed that I couldn't help it this time.

He had some early wobbles, but eventually won by five shots to claim the biggest cheque of his career.

I won't extrapolate now and suggest Fox is headed for golfing greatness. I won't suggest he's about to climb into the world's top 50 players or start contending in the majors.

I'm not sure why we do that in the media when someone does well. Isn't it enough to recognise their achievement and leave it there?

Doesn't matter what the sport is. If someone scores a hundred, collects a medal or kicks the winning dropped goal, we have to immediately predict greatness or place their performance in the annals of history.

Fox, to my mind, is doing just fine. If he never wins another tournament, his will have been a career to be immensely proud of.

Not because of world rankings or earnings, but because he overcame the potential hurdle of his family name.

We're a small country. We might not all know each other but - where a well-known New Zealander is concerned - we all seem to know a bloke, who knows a bloke, who heard a story once from another bloke.

There are few places to hide in a country as increasingly-opinionated as this one.

Well, good luck finding someone with a bad word to say about Fox. Good luck finding fault with the way that he conducts himself.

If you want a New Zealand athlete for your own child to emulate, you could do a lot worse than Ryan Fox.