Ryan Fox faces an uphill battle in his quest to defend his BMW PGA Championship title this week at Wentworth, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in over a decade.
The last golfer to achieve back-to-back victories at the prestigious tournament was none other than current Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, back in 2011 and 2012.
In fact, only three players in the tournament’s history have successfully defended their title—Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, and Donald. All three went on to captain Europe in the Ryder Cup, highlighting the calibre of talent required to achieve the rare feat.
“I'm immensely proud of my victory at the BMW PGA Championship,” said Fox.
“It's such an iconic tournament and I can’t wait to defend my title. I’ve always enjoyed coming to Wentworth Club, and when I was able to create some of my own history last year in front of my family and friends, it was very special, and I’ll have those memories forever.”
To make Fox’s task even harder, only nine players have won the event more than once, the first being Englishman Ken Bousfield.
If the New Zealander can replicate his 18-under-par performance from last year—when he became the first Kiwi to win the tournament—he would join an elite group of two-time BMW PGA Championship winners, including Tony Jacklin, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, and Anders Hansen.
Standing in his way, however, are the likes of Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, and 2023 DP World Tour Championship winner Nicolai Højgaard.
On the bright side for Fox, he won’t have to face off against Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.The LIV Golf pair have both have committed to ending their seasons on Golf’s Global Circuit in recent weeks, but are unable to compete at Wentworth due to a clash with LIV Golf’s Team Championship in Dallas.
“I’m obviously sad to miss Wentworth this year,” said Hatton, who won the 2020 BMW PGA Championship.
“That tournament is really special to me and I’ve said numerous times what that tournament means.”
