Arnold Palmer Invitational: Ryan Fox sets sights on Presidents Cup, Tour Championship in 2026

Ryan Fox returns to the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first time since 2023 this year. Photo / Getty Images

Ryan Fox knows he has nowhere to hide in 2026.

Last year, the Kiwi golfer ticked off almost every goal he had set for himself professionally; winning on the PGA Tour – twice – and finishing the season well inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.

That set him up for a different campaign this year, with his top-50 finish unlocking entry into the PGA Tour’s signature events, which are limited field tournaments that have inflated prizemoney and points on offer. There are eight such events in 2026 and five of them do not feature a cut.

After missing out on these events in 2025, Fox finds himself in the familiar position of being unfamiliar with his surroundings.

“I’m playing almost a completely different schedule than what I’ve played the last couple of years on tour and again trying to learn new golf courses and playing against the strongest fields every week,” Fox told the Herald.

“But it’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m playing the next couple of weeks in Bay Hill and The Players, so looking forward to going back to those two courses again.

“It feels like every week’s almost got a major championship style feel to it. The golf courses are generally set up pretty tough and you’re playing against the majority of the world’s top 50, so there’s no hiding this year, but it’s where I want to be and it’s been a solid start to the year.”

In two signature events this season, Fox has two top-25 finishes, including a T7 at the Genesis Invitational a fortnight ago. Add in a T24 at the Phoenix Open, a regular PGA Tour event, and the 39-year-old has made a terrific start to the season.

He heads into this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill looking to continue that trend, with the tournament one of the three signature events to feature a cut after 36 holes – along with the Genesis and the Memorial in June.

Looking at the year ahead, Fox has his sights locked on building upon what he achieved in 2025, looking to earn a spot in the Tour Championship – the final event of the season that only has 30 spots on offer – and a place on the international team for the Presidents Cup in September.

The top six international players in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of August automatically qualify for the Presidents Cup team, with six other spots on the roster for captain’s selections. As it stands, Fox is the seventh-best international player on the world rankings, after Colombian Nico Echavarria shooting up the rankings by winning the Cognizant Classic last week.

“In terms of just a single thing, it would be qualifying for that Presidents Cup team,” Fox said of his goals for the season.

“I’ve got to play some really good golf for that to happen, so I feel if I can tick that off, then I’ve probably achieved a lot of good stuff this year. Missing out on the Tour Championship hurt a little bit last year, so I’d like to get there this year as well.

“I played some really good golf last year but that would require some better golf, and probably some better golf at the back end of the year. But I’ve started a whole lot better this year compared to last year, so I’m in a good place and there’s a lot of golf to be played and a lot of points to play for.

“Those are probably the two major things this year. I feel to qualify for the Presidents Cup and to get into that Tour Championship, it does require winning again, and I’d certainly like to do that too.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.