NEWS

What an exciting time it is for our professionals competing all over the globe. Ryan Fox finished his second Olympic campaign with a final round 7 under par 64 to finish -5 and in a tie for 42^nd. This result caps off a whirlwind few weeks for Fox who came into the Olympics fresh off a strong showing at The Open Championship. When asked about Tokyo 2020 Foxy had this to say.. “The experience was pretty cool. To Get to represent New Zealand on the biggest stage is an honour and to be a part of a bigger team is great. Obviously the covid restrictions made everything a little more difficult and we couldn’t get the full Olympic experience but it was still very enjoyable.” Kiwi golf fans will get to cheer on Foxy once again this week at The Hero Open in Scotland where he will be joined by compatriots Daniel Hillier and Josh Geary.

For Wellingtons Daniel Hillier coming off his second major appearance at The Open Championship, he was fortunate enough to receive a tournament invite into the ISPS Handa World Invitational on the European Tour. He certainly capitalised on the opportunity claiming the 36 hole lead in Ireland and remaining in contention throughout the weekend. A valiant fightback in round three kept him in the mix and he was right in it until the very end. Bogey’s on his 16^th and 17^th hole saw Dan slip from a tournament score of -13 down to -11 and a par at the 18^th left him two strokes behind the eventual winner on -13. Despite not hanging on to win or force a playoff, Dan’s performance without question solidifies his place within the professional game on the world stage. “We’ll keep knocking on that door and managing to get a start this week too should be good fun” is what Dan had to say as he looks ahead to another opportunity at the Hero Open in Scotland. It’s been a stellar year for Hillier as he continues to rise the ranks in the professional game. Having made 9/11 cuts and posting six top 25 finishes is proof that his game is built for the world stage. He sits 184^th on The European Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings where the top 115 earn a full European Tour card and 45^th on The Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca where the top 15 earn a European Tour card.

One of our longest serving tour professionals Josh Geary despite some disappointing recent results has had a very solid year in Europe and is looking to turn around his luck. When asked how he is getting on over there and what is coming up here is what Geary had to say.. “A couple rough weeks with unfavourable draws with some average play but that’s golf. I’ve got the Hero Open in Scotland this week, Cazoo Classic in England, The Czech Masters and there’s a chance I’ll get the European Masters in Switzerland the week after that too but I’m not 100% sure.” Geary has enjoyed two top 10’s, two top 15’s and two top 30’s across the European and Challenge Tours this year. His best results being a 2^nd place finish on The Challenge Tour at the Kaskada Golf Challenge and a 6^th place finish on The European Tour at The Made in Himmerland Tournament. He sits 165^th on the Race to Dubai and 39^th on the Road to Mallorca.

For Lydia Ko, the kiwi superstar is enjoying her best year on Tour in recent times which has included a long awaited victory at The Lotte Championship and 7 top 10 finishes from just 14 starts. Today, Lydia kickstarts her second Olympic campaign where she comes in to Tokyo 2020 with some great form. It was two weeks ago that Lydia recorded a 6^th place finish at The Evian Championship in France. Lydia is currently in 2^nd place on the Race to the CME Globe on the LPGA Tour behind the women’s world number 1 Nelly Korda. It will be with huge interest and adoration that kiwi golf fans support from their living rooms Lydia Ko’s quest for another medal at The Olympic Games. Let’s hope that this time it is a gold one that is hanging around her neck at the conclusion of play.

Iowa based Nick Voke has made a small dent in his quest for a PGA Tour card as he posted another top 10 on The Korn Ferry Tour at the Price Cutter Championship where a final round 64 catapulted him into a tie for 6^th place. We caught up with Nick in his off week and here’s what he had to say.. “I’ve had a solid week back home to recharge the batteries and I’m off to Salt Lake City, Utah for the final stretch on the Korn Ferry Tour. It was a week of rest and a bit of golf. Didn’t watch too much of the Olympics as I had a few things around the house I wanted to get sorted as I am moving to a new spot in about two months’ time.” Vokes year in the US has been a mixed bag, making 12/28 cuts that has included a 2^nd place finish, four top 10’s and five top 25’s which highlights that when he is firing he has the game to compete and contend with the best of them. It is only a matter of when, not if for Nick Voke before he goes on a run like he did on the PGA Tour China back in 2018 and establishes himself in the US on the PGA Tour. Vokey sits 86^th on the Korn Ferry Tour’s “The 25” ranking where the top 25 from the regular season earn the highly coveted PGA Tour card and the top 75 make the Korn Ferry Tour final series where the top 25 from the finals series also earn a PGA Tour card.

Steve Alker the former New Zealand PGA Champion has just reached the age of 50 where his attention will now turn to the highly competitive Champions Tour. He has been playing on The Korn Ferry Tour where he is 131^st on The 25 rankings.

Danny Lee’s year on the PGA Tour has been challenging thus far. Danny has made 9/24 cuts, posted three top 25 finishes and withdrawn from four events for various reasons. He currently sits 181^st in the Fedex Cup but hasn’t played on Tour for the last month, with his last made cut coming in June at The Palmetto Championship. Let’s hope Lee’s luck can turn around and we can see him playing on Tour healthily and happily.