Inform Fox wary of Saudibacked rival to PGA Tour

AUCKLAND: Ryan Fox has admitted he is wary of the rebel Saudi Arabian league as tensions mount in the golfing world.

The Saudibacked LIV Golf Series, which starts next month, continues to cast a shadow over the sport, with defending PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson announcing last week he was withdrawing from the year’s second major.

Mickelson has not played since January after making controversial comments supporting the rebel tour.

Ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, Fox said he, along with many other players, was staying cautious around the new competition, despite the ‘‘exceptionally silly’’ money behind it.

‘‘The Saudi thing is a bit of a talking point for I think everyone in golf,’’ Fox said.

‘‘From the [PGA] Tour’s point of view, [it’s] a very scary prospect. It’s a direct challenge to their business, and you can see why the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour [European Tour, which Fox plays on] have made the decisions that they’ve made to not release players.

‘‘From a player’s point of view, it’s very strange. The money is exceptionally silly.

‘‘But I think a lot of players are very wary of it. I’m certainly one of them,’’ Fox said.

‘‘You don’t want to damage your reputation or damage your ability to play on tour for something that may or may not last very long.’’

After yet another strong finish over the

weekend in Belgium, Fox has arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma for this week’s PGA Championship with plenty of time to prepare.

Fox finished tied for second at the DP World Tour’s Soudal Open on Monday and went straight from the course to Brussels airport to catch a transatlantic flight, but not in a way he is used to.

‘‘I definitely got very lucky. The tournament was putting a [private] jet on for a couple of guys to get to the PGA and I happened to be able to piggyback on the back of them after qualifying. Obviously, playing well at the tournament certainly didn’t hurt my chances either. It certainly made the trip to the US a lot easier than it would have been otherwise.’’

The early arrival in Tulsa meant he was able to play nine holes the next day, as opposed to having to wait for a commercial flight.

The extra 24 hours or so just might make the difference in the week of a major.

‘‘There were just seven of us on board and there were courtesy cars waiting on the runway when we arrived. So I got a little bit of a taste of what some of the big boys in the US travel like, and, yeah, it was nice.’’

Fox’s form has been superb since returning from a twomonth break after winning for the second time on tour at the Ras Al Khaimah International in February. Two top 15 finishes in Spain were followed by a tie for eighth at the British Masters, which ultimately got him into the PGA Championship field. His ranking has since climbed from 106th to 90th after his result in Belgium.

Fox said he still felt happy with his game shortly after playing nine holes at the Southern Hills Country Club, where the PGA takes place this week.

‘‘I’m really happy with where things are at. Obviously coming back after a big break, I didn’t really know what to expect.’’

Fox is now on the verge of qualifying for the US Open in June at the Brookline Country Club in Massachusetts.

He said he will now play a sixth straight tournament next week — the Dutch Open in the Netherlands — in a bid to cement his spot at the third major of the year. —