Fox not flustered ahead of major
Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox has made the field for next week’s PGA Championship, in what will be his 12th major appearance.
Fox qualified for the field after a top 10 finish at the British Masters saw him jump up to 106th in the latest world golf rankings.
The 2022 PGA Championship begins next Friday at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which last held the event in 2007.
While Fox will be at the event, it’s still unclear whether defending PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson will make an appearance but has also been named in the field alongside four-time PGA Championship winner Tiger Woods.
Mickelson skipped the US Masters last month following controversial comments about the PGA Tour and the rebel Saudi Golf League. Woods made his return to golf at Augusta last month following his car crash in February 2021. He played a practice round at Southern Hill last week.
It will be Fox’s fourth PGA Championship, last playing in the 2019 tournament when he missed the cut. His best finish was tied for 27th in 2018 at Bellerive Golf Course.
The Aucklander has earned $658,000 so far in 2022, the bulk of which came from his second Tour victory in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in February.
Fox will remain in Europe this week for the latest DP World Tour event in Belgium before making the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Fox is adamant playing this week rather than heading to the US early to acclimatise to the conditions and get an early feel for the course is a better option for him.
“I’ve always been one that prefers to play the week before a major,” Fox said. “I’ve played in a few now and feel like I’ve always played better in them when I’ve had some golf the week before. I know I’ve played three weeks in a row already, but there’s no pro-am at the PGA. I can get there no problem on Monday morning after an overnight flight across the Atlantic and I don’t particularly like getting to a course early for practice rounds.
“I’m quite happy arriving on a Monday and having a bit of a rest day and practice Tuesday, Wednesday and then get into it. Even though I haven’t played Southern Hills, I feel like if I get a chance to look around it, one and a half times or something like that, over Monday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, I’ll be going to be playing a major and we’re used to different conditions every week.”