Ryan Fox file photo – Bruce Young
As perhaps expected, New Zealand’s leading world ranked male golfer, Ryan Fox, has the halfway lead at that country’s PGA Championship at the Te Puke Golf Club near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.
The historic and iconic event in New Zealand golf has been resurrected as a non-PGA Tour of Australasia event after being played in recent years as part of that tour’s schedule but Covid issues would mean the event took on a new look in 2021.
Essentially, this year’s field is made up of New Zealand’s domestic golfers although several Australians did make the decision to play the NZ$100,000 event.
Fox, who has been in fine form in local events in New Zealand of late as he awaits a return to the European Tour, added a second round of 64 to be one ahead of Auckland’s Tae Koh, a former Australian Amateur Champion, and local golfer and first round leader, Josh Geary, a prolific winner of domestic events in New Zealand.
Fox has won the last three events he has played in his homeland including an emphatic win a Charles Tour event at the Muriwai Golf Club in Auckland and his current form augurs well for when he restarts his European Tour schedule whenever that might be.
In 4th place, and only two from the lead, is impressive New Zealand amateur, James Hydes.
The leading Australian in the field is Victorian, Blake Collyer, who sits in 6th place at 8 under and four from Fox’s lead.
