PGA Tour: Ryan Fox makes competitive return Downunder for BMW Australian PGA Championship

Freedom presents opportunity for Ryan Fox.

With his PGA Tour card wrapped up for the next couple of seasons, the Kiwi golfer is taking advantage of some flexibility in his schedule and will return to competitive golf Downunder at the end of the year.

Fox, who will feature in the first round of the PGA Tour playoffs this weekend, has confirmed he will be teeing off across the Ditch in late November, signing on for the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane.

Fox will be one of a number of Kiwis in the field in Brisbane, with the likes of DP World Tour players Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori among others set to feature.

It will be the first time since 2022 that Fox has taken part in one of Australian golf’s premier events, with the 38-year-old saying the events late in the year haven’t always worked with his busy schedule.

“I did it in ′22 after a really big year and was absolutely shot and kind of struggled early ′23 [with] not having enough of a break. Then in ′23, it was, I tried to learn my lesson and say, well, hey, taking those two weeks off might make a difference, then obviously last year I had an injury and was basically advised not to play for as long as possible to give it a rest,” he said.

“Now, with the PGA Tour season how it’s been, it’s a lot easier to make that decision to come back. Knowing I’ve got status next year, knowing I can pick my schedule for the PGA Tour next year and I’ve got a nice little eight-week break, I really wanted to come back and play.

“I know it’s a great event, you get great crowds there and I’m looking forward to playing pretty close to home. It’s tough to go to South Africa, say, for the DP World Tour that time of year from New Zealand, that’s a long way to go, but, you know, a little three-hour hop across the pond is really nice for some golf and some sunshine and to get the competitive juices flowing after a couple of months off.”

Fox is yet to commit to the Australian Open, held at Royal Melbourne a week later, but remains a chance to join Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy in that field as well.

As for the New Zealand Open, which Fox hasn’t played in since 2020, the door remains open; however with that tournament falling in late February and during the PGA Tour season, it is dependent on what else lies on the schedule.

“It’s obviously pretty high on my priorities list, but I haven’t seen a PGA Tour schedule for 2026 yet. I have heard rumours of everything getting switched up a little bit – you know, a bit of change in dates and events – so obviously if it clashes with a signature event or something like that, it would be pretty hard to come back to the New Zealand Open,” Fox admitted.

“But I’m obviously in a good place knowing I’ve got status going forward as well for a long time on the PGA Tour. It’s been a tough decision the last couple of years to not come back and play and put keeping a card on the PGA Tour above everything else.

“In hindsight, I think I made the right decision there. I know everyone involved with the New Zealand Open really wants me to come back, and I do as well, it’s a tough time of year playing on the PGA Tour ... that early season on the PGA Tour is just so busy and it’s just been a tough decision.”

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