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In form Fox confirms to play NZPGA Championships next week at Te Puke
Ryan Fox headlines a full and strong field for next week’s NZPGA Championship staged at Te Puke Golf Club. With New Zealand tour players in strong form and three Australian tour players taking advantage of quarantine free travel the PGA focus of the celebration of golf and “where it started for you” will make for it a highlight occasion for all PGA Members playing in this prestigious event.
Fox has been in top form having 3 consecutive wins with two Charles Tour victories, The Clubroom Gulf Harbour and Autex Muriwai as well as continuing the charge with a win in the Briscoes Wairakei Invitational this week. Fox set a new course record of 62 in his final round on his way to winning the Gulf Harbour Charles Tour.
With a focus for the week around “where golf began for you” it’s fitting that Te Puke has a special place for him.
“I’m looking forward to playing Te Puke, it’s a course I played a lot growing up, my Grandparents live close by and my uncle is a long-time member. It’s been a few years since I played there, but I hear the course is in great condition. “It’s great to have the PGA Championship being contested this year as it is an important event on the New Zealand golf calendar”.
Fox will be looking to sign off this event strongly before heading back to Europe. “The form has been good the past few weeks obviously, but I will take a few days off before ironing out a few things to get ready for next week”.
“The PGA Championship will be my last event in New Zealand before heading back to Europe in May, so it will be nice to continue the run of form as a springboard to my campaign back in Europe” says Fox.
Other players that will be followed will be the visiting Australian Tour players in Jack Thompson who burst onto the scene last year with 2nd in the 2020 Isuzu Queensland Open as an amateur. Fellow compatriots Nathan Barbieri (winner of the Avondale medal 2020) and Blake Collyer (4th in the Victorian PGA) will join Thompson from across the Tasman.
Previous winner of the NZPGA Championship Ben Campbell comes into this year’s event returning from injury as well as players Josh Geary, Dongwoo Kang and Harry Bateman all having strong seasons. Joined alongside them will be a host of New Zealand PGA players in fine form in what will make following the leader board throughout the week an intriguing watch.
The event will be screened live on Sky TV next weekend and the PGA NZ Social and web platforms will be providing regular updates from the event as well as following the unique Regional Teams event where all regions of New Zealand will be represented by their players club of origin to vie for the Inaugural NZPGA Regionals team’s trophy.