Ryan Fox reacts to making his putt on the 10th hole (his first) during the first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Thursday,  (Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America)

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox was one of the last players into the field for this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte in North Carolina, and one of the first players onto the course on day one of the second major of the year, but after his round Fox found himself very much in the thick of things with an opening round of 4 under par 67.

Fox would complete his round, three behind American Ryan Gerard, although, as the morning wore on, Gerard would drop shots late in his round and as the afternoon field headed onto the course, Fox remained in second position and just one off the lead.

“I played really solid today,” said Fox after his impressive start. “It hasn’t been the ideal prep coming in for me, obviously winning last week, being last man in. I literally played 18 holes yesterday and that was the only thing I did preparation-wise, basically, hit a few balls on Tuesday and played one hole before the storm came in.

“Obviously knew I was playing well and just tried to get out of my own way and just let it happen. Today I was really happy with how I did that. Kept the momentum going from last week pretty nicely.

“I played the PGA here in ’17. So I had good memories from ’17. I played reasonably well that week for the most part. You know, I knew coming in that it’s a beast of a golf course, and you know, obviously it’s been redone a little bit since then and was — the changes look really good, and obviously they have just found a few extra yards on a few holes just to make it that little bit harder.

“I love the golf course. Maybe not that much strategy off the tee. You’ve just got to hit it hard and hit it pretty straight.

“But there’s definitely a little bit of controlling your golf ball into the greens, and you know, picking the right spots where you want to hit it and where you’re trying to miss it but, you know, that’s what you want from a major championship.

Fox was out in the very first group from the 10^th tee on day one, playing with John Parry and Justin Hicks and made an immediate impact when holing and nine-footer for birdie after an adventurous trip down the par five. His wayward drive found the right hand rough and he was still some 100 yards from the hole when he hit his 3^rd. It finished 9 feet from the hole and when he had converted he was able to settle into his round.

Adding two more birdies and no bogies by the turn, Fox moved into the lead when he birdied his 16^th and 17^th holes but a poor second from the middle of the fairway at the last led to a bogey. Still, it was a fine start, especially given the emotions of the last few days, having secured his first PGA Tour title just a few days ago.

“I probably took more out of that than the actual chip-in,” said Fox referring to his playoff victory at Myrtle Beach.  “Obviously, that was incredible. But there’s a fair bit of luck involved in that. But you know, the shot I hit into 17 to make birdie to give myself a chance, that almost means more; I can take more out of that going into this week than maybe the chip-in.

“Yeah, I just kind of tried to take the same theory into this week; just pick my targets, hit my shots and trust that I’m playing well. It’s amazing what finding a bit of confidence can do. Like all of a sudden the bad shots that were irking me a couple weeks ago didn’t seem to matter quite so much today.

“I think that’s a good way to play in a major because you’re going to hit a few bad shots. You’re going to get a few bad breaks. They are hard golf courses, and being able to have some acceptance is pretty important.”

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Jason Day during his 2018 Wells Fargo Championship win at Quail Hollow – image courtesy of Getty Images 

The late addition of Ryan Fox brings to eight the Australasian contingent to contest this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In world ranking order, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Ryan Fox, Karl Vilips, Cam Smith and Elvis Smylie will tee it up at the venue which has played host to the Kemper Open and Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour, the 2017 PGA Championship and in 2022 the Presidents Cup.

Originally designed by George Cobb when built in 1960, Quail Hollow Golf Club has undergone work by Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio since and is generally considered one of the finest layouts on the PGA Tour schedule.

Rory McIlroy has dominated proceedings at Quail Hollow over the years, winning his first PGA Tour title in 2010 and then again in 2015, 2021 and 2024 and lost a playoff in 2012. McIlroy, though, could only manage 22^nd place in the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow although the event was then played in August rather than mid-May.

Of the Australasian contingent in this year’s championship, Jason Day has won previously around Quail Hollow, his victory coming in 2018. Day was also 9^th at the PGA Championship held here and was 4^th in the Wells Fargo event last year so his form around Quail Hollow is very good but the uncertainty around his health is of some concern for his fans.

Four starts ago, Min Woo Lee made his PGA Tour breakthrough with his win in Houston but in the three starts since there has not been much to get excited about. He is an amazing talent but might be found wanting this week.

Adam Scott finished 5^th at Quail Hollow in 2023 and has made eight of ten cuts in 2025 but he has seldom threatened to contend so it would be quite a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, if he was to do so this week.  He has six top tens in 24 PGA Championship starts but it is hard to imagine he will add another this week.

Cam Davis finished 4^th at the PGA Championship two years ago but with five missed cuts in his last eight starts he has struggled after what had been a solid start to 2025. In three starts at Quail Hollow, he has a best of 26^th.

For obvious reasons, Cam Smith’s world ranking belies his capabilities. In nine starts in this event, he has just one top ten to his name, and his recent form in LIV Golf events has been below his best, so I can’t get too excited about his prospects. He missed the cut in his only non-Liv start this year at the Masters.

Elvis Smylie and recent PGA Tour winner, Karl Vilips, make their PGA Championship debuts, and their performance will be watched with interest from that aspect alone.

Ryan Fox won last week on the PGA Tour for the first time and it will be interesting to see how that increased self-belief and confidence transpires into his performance this week.

Interestingly, Fox will play the PGA Championship for the 7^th occasion and while he has seldom contended he has missed only one cut in those six previous starts, so his newfound status might assist in something considerably better.

I like defending champion Xander Schauffele this week, given his two runner-up finishes at Quail Hollow of late and improving performances in PGA Tour starts since a slow start to the year. Some of the betting agencies are offering what appears to be good value for the world number four.

Players 

Lucas Herbert – image Asian Tour 

Lucas Herbert has today won his 6^th event as a professional, securing previous titles on the DP World Tour, PGA, Australasian, and now Asian Tours with his five-shot win at the Asian/Japan Tour’s International Series Japan event in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Herbert recorded a total of 23 birdies and four eagles throughout the 72 holes, an eagle at the 72^nd hole today from 25 feet, putting the seal on an emphatic victory in which he had led or co-led at the end of each day beginning with his amazing start on day one where he reeled off five birdies and an eagle in his opening seven holes.

Herbert has been in fine form in 2025 despite not winning until today but he has accumulated significant earnings, his win today and the resultant US$360,000 taking his earnings in the first 4.5 months of the year beyond US$5 million.

Herbert was overlooked by the PGA of America for an invitation to next week’s PGA Championship, an event in which his current form and standing in the game perhaps justifies a place in the field for the second major of the year but he continues to build on his standing as one of Australia’s best and his time will come.

Herbert began the final day tied with Korea’s Younghan Song and Yuta Sugiura but a final round of 64 saw him win by five with American Cameron Tringale a shot surther back in 4^th place.

“I was thinking about it down on the 18th green, that finish yesterday really set it up,” said Herbert referring to his strong finish on Saturday which included two eagles in his last three holes. “It would have been much tougher, I think, to play the group in front, or maybe two groups in front, had I parred in and to try and come back from behind today,” said Herbert.

“Being able to tie the lead last night, and sleep thinking that I didn’t have to chase anything down today, was a big factor. And then, very happy with the way I played today, I think it was the low round of the day, so that’s always going to make it hard to beat when you start the day tied for the lead.”

“I’ve played really well this year, and I think the driver was a big part of this success. So, I’ve got to thank Tom Davies, who works on my clubs. He was the one who put it in my hands. I had other thoughts of what I might be using this year and he encouraged me to give it a go. It seemed to have worked out pretty well,” said Herbert.

“The way I’ve been playing this year, it’s been building to get a win at some point. So, it’s nice to get it done here, especially in Japan, which is one of my favourite places. It’s nice to feel like some of the hard work that I put in has paid off. Holding that trophy is a pretty good feeling.”

Herbert takes the lead in the International Series standings after two events and is now in second place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

New Zealand’s Nick Voke in 12^th place and Queenslander Jed Morgan in 14^th place were the next best of the Australasians in the US$2 million event.

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Lucas Herbert in action during round two – image courtesy of Asian Tour

Despite his significant success in LIV Golf and other events over the past few months, Lucas Herbert was perhaps unfairly overlooked by the PGA of America when it came to inclusion in the field for next week’s PGA Championship. Still, he has put that behind him with an outstanding start to the Asian Tour’s International Series Japan event in Chiba Prefecture.

At the halfway stage, Herbert has a one shot lead over Korea’s Younghan Song and Japan’s Shunya Takehasu in the US2 million event being played at the Caledonian Golf Club outside of Tokyo but it is not the margin of lead but the manner in which Herbert has played the opening 36 holes that has been so impressive.

Through seven holes of his opening round on Thursday, Herbert was 7 under par with five birdies and an eagle and although the momentum slowed a little, his round of 62 that day had him in the lead by two and when he added three early birdies on day two, it appeared as if he might well spreadeagle the field.

The balance of round two however, would be a mixture of five birdies, four bogeys, and a double bogey to finish with a 2 under 69 and the lead when he finished his morning round.

No-one was able to catch the 29 year old as the day wore on and so he will take the lead into the weekend as he looks to add to his already significant earnings in 2025 having finished once runner-up and 4^th on two occasions in seven starts in LIV Golf events and has earnings close to US$5 million.

Amongst Herbert’s five wins internationally is a previous win in Japan at the ISPS Handa Championship in 2023 while still playing the DP World Tour so success in Japan is not new to him, and given the brilliance of his play to date this week another is a strong possibility.

NSW’s Travis Smyth and New Zealand’s Nick Voke are the next best of the Australasian brigade in a share of 7^th place and four shots from Herbert’s lead.

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Scottie Scheffler – image PGA of America

At this point last year, Scottie Scheffler had won four PGA Tour events and been runner-up on one other occasion. To date in 2025 there have been no wins but in his last three events there has been plenty of evidence to suggest a first win is at hand.

A runner-up finish in Houston, a 4^th place finish at the Masters and an 8^th place finish at the RBC Heritage in his last three starts have all pointed to a return to the sort of form which has seen him dominate world golf over the past three years and in Dallas this week he appears on track for that first win of the year.

Through 36 holes of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at the TPC Craig Ranch in the northern suburbs of Dallas, Scheffler has established a six shot lead. Although many in the field have yet to complete or, in a few cases, even start their second round, the lead he enjoys is likely to stand up when the balance of the field complete their second rounds on Saturday morning (Dallas time).

Play was delayed for over six hours in the afternoon due to inclement weather and then darkness, leaving many players still pursuing a place in the weekend field. The cut appeared likely to be 5 or 6 under.

Scheffler added a second round of 63 to his opening 61 to be six ahead of American Sam Stevens who has yet to win on the PGA Tour and eight ahead of Jhonattan Vegas and Ricky Castillo.

“I feel like my game has been trending in the right direction,” said Scheffler. “I had some good starts recently. I had a good start at the Masters, solid start, and then I had a chance here in Houston.

“Overall, I had a decent week in Hilton Head. I didn’t have a great Sunday, but overall I played some pretty solid golf. So I definitely feel like my game is trending in the right direction.

“This tournament definitely means a lot to me. I haven’t won Colonial yet, so I’m not even close to the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) double — is that what we’re calling it?

“Going into the weekend, I’m just going to do my best to stay focused, execute. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play here and have a chance to win. I put myself in good position the last two days, and I’m looking forward to getting out there and competing again tomorrow.”

Ryan Fox is at 6 under but has played only six holes of his second round as he chases weekend play for the 6^th time in nine PGA Tour starts in 2025, Fox currently in 130^th place in the 2025 FedEx Cup standings, while recent winner Karl Vilips, the Australian PGA Tour rookie, is at 5 under for the tournament through just three holes of round two so has some work to do if he is to be around for the final 36 holes.

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