Ryan Fox Eyes Presidents Cup Redemption at Australian PGA Championship
A strong performance at the Australian PGA Championship could be key for Ryan Fox as he aims to secure a spot on the International Team for the 2025 Presidents Cup, still motivated by past snubs.
The New Zealander is widely considered a crucial piece of the puzzle for the International Team as they prepare to face the United States at Medinah Country Club in Illinois next year. Fox, a two-time PGA Tour winner this year, will be a prominent figure at Royal Queensland’s NZ$2.85 million event beginning Thursday.
The Internationals will be under new leadership, with Australian Geoff Ogilvy – a former US Open champion – taking the helm. Ogilvy faces the daunting task of breaking a 25-year American dominance in the biennial competition, where the International Team has only secured victory once in 15 attempts.
Fox has been previously overlooked for a Presidents Cup berth, but his impressive 2025 campaign has positioned him as a strong contender to become just the fifth New Zealander to compete in the event, and the first since Danny Lee in 2014. “I didn’t play well enough in 2024 to have a look-in,” Fox admitted. “But 2022 did hurt quite a bit.”
He acknowledged the reasoning behind former captain Trevor Immelman’s decision. “I’d never really played on the PGA Tour outside of a couple of majors and I was an unknown quantity and it being on US soil as well, and knowing the conditions over there, I think counted for a lot,” Fox explained. “But that did hurt and I’ve definitely got some motivation to make that team for this year.” He added that recent conversations with Ogilvy have been encouraging, noting, “I saw Geoff over the last couple of days and it was good to have a bit of a chat to him about it, and he’s excited and it feels like we’ve got a good base of a team.”
Despite a record-breaking defeat in Montreal this past September – a 18.5 to 11.5 margin – the Internationals demonstrated resilience, with 20 of the 30 matches remaining competitive until the penultimate hole.
Veteran Australian golfer Adam Scott, 45, is also determined to make the team. “It is at the top of my list with winning tournaments, making the Presidents Cup team next year,” said the former Masters champion. “I’d really love to be on that team. Geoff and I have played golf since we were juniors together and I would love to get my game in shape to make that team and get that International win.” Scott believes the competition is closer than many realize, pointing out that several matches in Canada were decided by a single hole. “I think it’s close, and people might not think it’s that close, but … even in Canada, it was just losing or winning the last hole a couple of times made the difference.”
The International Team’s sole victory came in 1998, hosted at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The United States has won the event twice at that course since, and is scheduled to return to Australia in 2028, playing at nearby Kingston Heath.
