New Zealand’s Number one ranked male golfer Ryan Fox is set to take on the inaugural Millbrook Classic this weekend before returning to the DFP World Tour.
Fresh off his victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in the United Arab Emirates, Fox will be looking to continue his winning form as he is set to take on the best of New Zealand’s local and international touring professionals at the newly opened Coronet Course at Millbrook Resort early next month.
The Millbrook Classic is set to tee off this Saturday, and the tournament organisers are excited about the strength of the professional field who will be competing for a total purse of $150,000.
Fox is looking forward to taking on the new course at Millbrook Resort and knows he will be in for a tough few days, considering the quality of the field.
“I have heard lots of positive comments about the new Coronet course at Millbrook, and I am excited to get back to Queenstown to check it out,” Fox said.
“And from the makeup of the field that has been assembled, I know it’s going to be a great few days of tournament golf.”
Among the professionals joining Fox in the field are his European Tour colleague Josh Geary, 2021 New Zealand PGA Champion Tae Koh, and Queenstown locals Ben Campbell, James Anstiss, Greg Turner and Micah Dickinson.
Also joining the 28-strong field are all of the leading domestic professionals, including Mark Brown, Gareth Paddison, Luke Brown, Harry Bateman and Luke Toomey.
The tournament is a smaller replacement event following the cancellation of the New Zealand Open due to the Covid travel restrictions.
Tournament Director Michael Glading is delighted to have such a strong field available for the Millbrook Classic.
“It’s great to have Ryan back in the country and confirm his commitment to the Millbrook Classic,” Glading said.
“Not only will it be great for the strength of the field, but I know he will share his experience and knowledge with the next generation of kiwi pros who are looking to kick on to the world stage.”
“We have assembled a really strong professional field in a pretty short time frame and are thrilled to have young Momoka Kobori join us, following her excellent performances in recent mixed Pro events in Australia. In addition, with Ben Campbell and Josh Geary, who join Fox as three of our internationally based players, there is stiff competition for the New Zealand based pros,” said Glading.
Kiwi journeyman Luke Toomey said he wanted to thank the team behind the Milbrook Classic for turning around such an event following the Open’s demise.
“It’s been pretty hard for touring professionals during the pandemic, as we rely on tournaments and events for a major part of our income,” Toomey said.
“It’s great to see an event like this with a pretty large purse here in New Zealand, designed specifically to support Kiwi golfers.”
The event tees off on Saturday, April 2.
