New Zealand’s top-ranked male golfer Ryan Fox has chosen to forge ahead on the PGA Tour over contesting his national open.
The 37-year-old announced on social media overnight that he had made the difficult decision to continue his campaign on the PGA Tour, where he is playing full-time for the first time, and forgo a chance to win the New Zealand Open. The PGA Tour of Australasia event begins at Millbrook Resort outside Queenstown next Thursday, February 29, and conflicts with the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic (formerly the Honda Classic) in Florida.
The 41st-ranked golfer in the world was one of 10 graduates to the PGA Tour via the DP World Tour’s moneylist in 2023 and Fox knows the value of making a fast start in America in a bid to maintain his card, especially in a shorter PGA Tour season, which only runs from January to August this year. The Kiwi has started slowly, sitting 147th on the FedEx Cup points list after a missed cut and T-41 result in his only two starts to date.
Fox has a strong history of supporting the New Zealand Open but is yet to win the championship. Australia’s Brendan Jones is the defending champion.