Ryan Fox books place in final stage of PGA Tour playoffs

Another goal ticked off for Ryan Fox.

At the start of the 2026 season, the Kiwi golfer had a few things he wanted to achieve.

Among them, Fox hoped to be among the last group standing as the PGA Tour season reached its conclusion.

It’s another thing he can tick off his golfing to-do list, with the 39-year-old qualifying to compete in the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta with a shot at the FedEx Cup title and the US$10 million ($16.7m) winner’s purse.

The entry list is reserved for the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings, and despite a rough couple of weeks, Fox clung on to his spot – sitting 30th at the end of the BMW Championship in St Louis at the weekend.

Fox finished the tournament two-over, carding a one-over 71 in three of his four rounds, with a one-under 69 in his second round.

That saw him finish in a tie for 47th in the 50-strong field, which was the second week of the PGA Tour playoffs.

The post-season began the previous week with the St Jude Championship in Memphis, where the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings were invited.

After that event, 20 players were cut with a further 20 eliminated after the BMW Championship.

Fox shot up the rankings after winning the Open Championship in July to claim his maiden major championship, but took three weeks off after that triumph to absorb the achievement.

Since returning, the Kiwi has struggled for form, on the greens in particular, and slipped a handful of spots on the FedEx Cup ladder over the past two weeks.

However, his result in St Louis was enough to ensure he would feature in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Guaranteed to finish the year inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings and currently at No 24 in the world, Fox is also on the verge of ticking off another milestone.

In September, the President’s Cup will be contested and Fox looks all but assured of a spot in the international team.

The top six eligible players in the world rankings after this weekend’s Tour Championship earn automatic selection into that team, with a further six selected by the team captain.

Despite some success in recent years, Fox has never played in the event and was controversially overlooked for the 2022 edition.

“I don’t know exactly what the confirmation is but I would say it’d be pretty hard to drop out of that top six for next week and then even if something like that does happen I would say I should be all right for a captain’s pick as well,” Fox told the Herald ahead of the BMW Championship.

“I don’t want to count my chickens in that regard but I would say I’ll be pretty good for that in September and [am] very much looking forward to that opportunity.

“It’s something that was probably the biggest goal at the start of the year, to make that team, and it’s always nice to be able to tick those off.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.