Ryan Fox returns to scene of significant victory
Ryan Fox holds his 2023 BMW PGA Championship trophy aloft
This week’s US$9 million BMW PGA Championship over the Burma Road (West Course layout) at the famed Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, sees the return to European golf of the recently crowned Open Champion and a man who has had success previously in this flagship event of the DP World Tour.
Ryan Fox will join a field which includes Masters Champion, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, USPGA Champion Aaron Rai, world number four Matthew Fitzpatrick, last week’s runaway winner in Ireland, Shane Lowry, and current Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed.
Fox won this event in 2023 when defeating Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton by one shot, his most significant victory of the four standalone DP World Tour events he has won, and there will be a lot of interest as to how the 39-year-old will perform now that he is a major champion following his win at the Open Championship nearly two months ago.
Fox’s form since his win at Royal Birkdale has been below his best, but there has been a lot to adjust to, and he did make it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, which is an achievement in itself. Interestingly, in eight other attempts at this week’s event, he has a best of 20th, another factor worth considering when assessing his chances. Fox is, though, a significantly more experienced and credentialed player than was the case three years ago.
Fox will play with McIlroy and Rai in the opening two rounds, resulting in three of this year’s four major champions are paired over the first 36 holes.
Other Australians and New Zealanders in the field are Adam Scott, Daniel Hillier, Kazuma Kobori, Jason Scrivener, David Micheluzzi and Elvis Smylie, who returns from an injury break, having last played at the Italian Open in June.
