New Zealand’s top up and coming golf talent is set to descend on Tina Golf Club in Noumea for the South Pacific Golf Open Championship from the 26 – 29 September.
The South Pacific Golf Open Championship will tee off the second half of the 2012 PGA Tour of Australasia season in the lead up to the biggest tournaments on the year’s schedule.
Providing great opportunity for the champion, a win in New Caledonia will ensure not only a handy pay cheque but also entry into the field for the Perth International, Australian Masters, BMW New Zealand Open, Emirates Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, as well as Official World Golf Ranking points.
Looking to capitalise on the early opportunity is New Zealand’s Ryan Fox who at 25-years-old qualified on to the PGA Tour of Australasia this year.
“It would be a great experience to play the bigger tournaments, to see how the world’s best play, see how I compare and find out what I need to work on,” said Fox, son of All Black Legend Grant Fox.
“I grew up watching all the events at the end of the year and dreaming I could play them one day, hopefully it will be a realisation of those dreams.”
In his rookie season on the PGA Tour of Australasia Fox has demonstrated his skill and potential finishing fourth at the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship, tied 11th at the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship and tied 27th at the Victorian PGA Championship.
“I feel comfortable out here, I feel like I belong. Getting through Q-School last year was a huge deal for me and it gave me a lot of confidence which is such an important thing in golf and I’ve been riding a very confident wave all year,” said Fox who is currently 6th on the PGA Tour of Australasia money list.
Having already experienced success, earlier this year in the South Pacific region at the Tahiti International Golf Open Championship, a pro-am on the NSW /ACT circuit, Fox say he is looking forward to playing in New Caledonia for the first time.
“I'm really looking forward to the South Pacific Golf Open Championship; it will be my first time playing in New Caledonia, although I have been on holiday there before when I was younger.”
“I’ve heard good things about Tina Golf Club and I can't wait to get back to the nice weather and relaxed atmosphere of the islands.”
From the South Pacific Golf Open Championship Fox plans to spread his wings and is set to head to the US for PGA TOUR Qualifying in October.
“I’m really looking forward to the experience, I love playing in the US so I'm keen to try my luck over there at Q-School as a Professional.”
“I have been working really hard in the last month both in the gym and practising, I have a few good tournaments in the lead up to Q school, culminating in the South Pacific Golf Open Championship.”
But for now his focus is firmly on claiming the South Pacific Golf Open Championship and in doing so notching up his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“It's been one of my goals over the last few years to get on tour and win, if the South Pacific Golf Open Championship is the first that would be fantastic.”
Fox will be joined at the South Pacific Golf Open Championship by fellow New Zealand Tour Professionals; Nick Gillespie, Hamish Robertson, Brad Shilton, Pieter Zwart and Josh Carmichael.