Ryan Fox moves to 71st in golf world rankings after Myrtle Beach Classic win

Ryan Fox reacts after chipping in on the 18th green during the first playoff hole to win the final round of the Myrtle Beach Classic. Photo / Getty/AFP

Kiwi Ryan Fox has jumped to 71st in the official world golf rankings following his breakthrough PGA Tour win at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Fox had drifted to 119th in the world after a mixed start to the 2025 season but moved back inside the top 80 by earning 27.7 ranking points with the stunning playoff victory secured with a chip-in.

It’s still some way from his career high of 23rd, which he reached in 2022 on the back of his win at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Yesterday’s victory secured a spot on the PGA Tour for the 2026 and 2027 seasons as well as a place in this week’s PGA Championship, the second major of the year.

“Having job security on the PGA Tour for a couple of years is pretty big. We don’t get a lot of that in this game,” Fox told the Mike Hosking Breakfast.

“It’s nice to be able to plan a schedule now for the next couple of years, have some certainty around being based in the States for the next couple of years, figure out what to do with kids’ schooling and all of that stuff, which are good problems to figure out.

“And obviously the paycheque doesn’t hurt, but the biggest thing is getting that status.”

Fox was making the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Myrtle Beach to Quail Hollow after securing the last spot in the PGA Championship field, but heavy rain today means he won’t miss any preparation time on the course.

He has all but secured a spot in the next signature event on the PGA Tour - the Memorial at the end of the month. An event with total prize money of US$20m where fourth place earns US$1m.

Fox also locked up his debut at The Sentry and his fourth appearance at The Players Championship, both in 2026. His ranking in the FedEx Cup standings jumped 76 places to 62.

Another strong showing over the next three tournaments might be enough to get inside the world’s top 60 and earn a spot at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club next month.

The security of a PGA Tour card also frees Fox up in September and October where he can set up a base in Europe for multiple DP World Tour events, compared to last year when he had to head back across the Atlantic to play in PGA Tour Fall events to retain his card.

Now he has the option to stay on after the BMW Championship, an event he won in 2023 and play the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which he won in 2022 but missed last year.

Fox became the ninth New Zealander to win on the PGA Tour, joining Sir Bob Charles, John Lister, Grant Waite, Frank Nobilo, Phil Tataurangi, Michael Campbell, Craig Perks and Danny Lee.

“I’ve felt like I’ve had a pretty decent career out on tour so far, and this just adds to it, and hopefully it’s the first of a few, that would be nice. But, regardless, it’s nice to be in that company with guys like, maybe not Cambo, but Nobilo and Waite and Tataurangi and Craig Perks and those guys who won out on the PGA Tour,” he told Newstalk ZB

“Obviously Cambo and Bob Charles and Lydia stand head and shoulders above the rest as major winners but it’s nice to be in with those guys to have won on the PGA Tour and DP or European tour as well.”