Professional golfer Ryan Fox, from Beachlands, has secured his first ever PGA Tour card after a top-35 finish at the recent DP World Tour Championship.
Fox finished in a tie for 34th place in his latest showing at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where he stood six-under-par after four rounds.
He finished 15 shots off the lead and took home EUR 56,000 (NZD102,000) for his efforts.
Moreover, the placing meant the world number 28 took out fifth place in the Race to Dubai standings, comfortably securing his first PGA Tour Card.
The top 10 players on the final Race to Dubai rankings earn PGA Tour status, and with top-three finishers Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Hojgaard and Jon Rahm already assured, it meant Fox was second ranked of the 10.
It’s the cherry on top of what has been a great season for the east Auckland local, inclusive of a victory at the BMW PGA Championship, a handful of top-10 finishes and just shy of $5.5million in prize money.
The win at the Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, UK, was the last thing on his mind after starting his final round with a triple-bogey and going up against Europe’s best golfers.
“Winning at Wentworth was a highlight not just of the last few weeks but of my career in general.
“It’s such an iconic event for us and all the best in Europe were playing that week so to come out on top was a real buzz,” Fox told the Times last month.
In an interview recorded before he confirmed his PGA Tour card, Fox told reporters he wouldn’t exclusively play in the US next year and would likely follow McIlroy who splits his time between Europe and the US.
“My experiences on the PGA Tour have taught me that I can compete with the best guys in the world,” he says.
Speaking to the Times in January, Fox said his goals for 2023 were to win another event, pick up his PGA Tour card and stay inside the top 50 golfers in the world.
Last month he said 2023 has been a “pretty good” year for achieving his goals.
