In summary

  • Open champion Ryan Fox will bring the Claret Jug with him to the Australian Open at Kingston Heath from December 4–7.
  • Fox rates Kingston Heath as his favourite course in the world, narrowly edging out Royal Melbourne.
  • Now more used to the spotlight since his Open win, Fox says managing his time during tournament week remains his biggest challenge.

The reigning Open champion will bring the Claret Jug he collected after a stunning breakthrough win at Royal Birkdale, which has elevated Fox into golfing’s elite and turned his life on its head.

Fox's attendance at the tournament, being played from December 4-7, means the Australian Open field will include the reigning Masters and Open champions, with McIlroy also returning. 

Despite the pull of tournaments around the world wanting to put Fox on their posters, the Kiwi was adamant that an Australian Open at Kingston Heath wasn’t one he’d miss, whether he was The Open champ or not, even after what he labelled a “big year”.

“It was always something that I wanted to play when I saw the last couple of years that it was Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath. That always piqued my interest straight away,” Fox said from Korea, where he will play this week, having played in India last week, before heading to Dubai for the DP World Tour Championship.

“The biggest thing is just making sure that I still want to play golf. It's been a big year.

“I think I've managed the schedule pretty well since the Open. It was a no-brainer to be back close to home.

“I get a chance to play one of my favourite courses anywhere in the world in a tournament. It's pretty special, so it was a pretty easy one to put in the schedule.”

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McIlroy set tongues wagging in the media centre at Royal Melbourne ahead of last year’s Australian Open when he said Kingston Heath was, in fact, his favourite course in Melbourne.

Fox agreed and for very specific reasons, noting the two were only split by the barest of margins in his mind.

“Kingston Heath is one of my favourite courses anywhere in the world,” he said.

“It's not like they're miles apart. You give me a chance to play either and I’m excited.

“It's just a personal thing. I just like the feel of Kingston Heath and the look of some of the shots, and I've been lucky enough to play both quite a few times in tournament conditions.

“I'm certainly not complaining about either. They are some of the best courses anywhere in the world, but just, you know, for me, Kingston Heath has just got it, by a hair.”

Ryan Fox is bringing the Claret Jug to Melbourne for the Australian Open. (PHOTO: Getty Images).

Fox has been a regular visitor to Australia for over a decade - his first professional win was the WA Open in 2014 - but this year’s trip will come with an enhanced spotlight, extra activities and the likely placement in a marquee group across the opening rounds at Kingston Heath.

However, that’s a place Fox feels comfortable now, after the initial head spin and whirlwind of becoming a major champion demanded a mental reset and plenty of adapting to his new world.

“It'll be a bit different. I certainly will enjoy it,” he said.

“I'll definitely be in one of the good groups this year; but that's fun. I feel a bit more used to it now than I would have previously.

“I actually enjoyed playing with Rory for three days at Wentworth [in the BMW PGA Championship] and everything that comes with it.

“I've always enjoyed playing with Rory, but was a little bit intimidated. I was actually excited about it this year, and enjoyed the whole experience and the circus that comes with it.

“The biggest thing will just be managing the time during the week to actually try to get some prep done, and be ready to play.

“I think that's probably one of the things that's been hard since the Open; getting pulled everywhere during a tournament week, where I could generally fly under the radar a little bit more.

“The downtime isn't as much downtime as it used to be.

“I guess you kind of always figured that was going to happen if I ever won a major, and it certainly has happened that way.

“I've had to be better, and I still haven't figured it out yet, what time management looks like during a tournament week, and all the other stuff that comes with it, so no doubt there'll be plenty of that during the Aussie Open week.

“But as long as I can get my prep in, I feel like I can be competitive.”

Fox confirmed he’d be bringing the Claret Jug to Melbourne, a trophy which has proved to be the “perfect decanting size for a bottle of wine” and has had plenty of use for that purpose. 

“I wouldn't recommend putting anything really expensive in it,” Fox said, noting the taste was a bit metallic.

“But it's a pretty cool thing to drink out of, I have to say.”

No New Zealander has ever won the Australian Open.

Fox will look to join American Bill Rogers and golfing icons Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, who are the only players to win both the Open Championship and Australian Open in the same year. 

Fox joins Joaquin Niemann, Corey Conners, Sahith Theegala, Daniel Hillier, Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Muñoz and Josele Ballester as major international names in the field at Kingston Heath from December 4–7.