The New Zealander secured his second PGA TOUR title this past weekend, winning the RBC Canadian Open in a dramatic four-hole playoff against American Sam Burns at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. This remarkable win comes just weeks after his maiden PGA Tour victory, solidifying his incredible form.

RELATED: Arena teams up with rising global golf star Ryan Fox

Fox’s exceptional performance throughout the RBC Canadian Open tournament, culminating in a superb final-round 66 that forced the playoff, showcased his remarkable composure and skill under immense pressure. His decisive birdie on the fourth extra hole clinched the hard-fought win, and this victory marks a significant milestone, adding a prestigious and historic title to his growing list of achievements.

Ryan is one of only five golfers to win twice on the Tour this year, and the first New Zealander to achieve two PGA wins in a season.

Paul Berger, Arena CEO, said: “At Arena, we are committed to supporting athletes who embody excellence, resilience, and determination.

“Ryan Fox’s incredible victory at the RBC Canadian Open, particularly in such a compelling playoff, is a powerful testament to his unwavering resolve and a moment of immense pride for the entire Arena Group team.

“His performance truly resonated with our values, and we are thrilled to be part of his journey as he continues to achieve great things in the sport. Seeing gifted individuals excel through dedicated partnership is a profound measure of our success at Arena. It’s a philosophy that was showcased on the world stage yesterday in the most thrilling fashion, and his tenacity and grace under immense pressure were extremely inspiring.”

This win is Fox’s second PGA Tour title in less than a month, following his playoff victory at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in early May. The RBC Canadian Open victory not only adds a prestigious title to his growing list of accomplishments but also significantly enhances his reputation and momentum on the PGA TOUR. As well as 500 FedExCup points and a rise to No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking, this victory secured his entry into next year’s Masters at Augusta and the Players Championship, and he will also compete in this week’s U.S. Open – where Arena’s industry-leading event structures will form the dramatic backdrop.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

X

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Main Image: Supplied

The post Arena celebrates Ryan Fox’s second PGA Tour title in a month at RBC Canadian Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Fox winning the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic — his maiden title on the PGA Tour — and Screen delivering a great win at the Rose Ladies Series in Buckinghamshire, UK: a first in the company’s history.

Headquartered in the UAE, Arena Group is sponsoring three professional golfers this year, building on its strong ties with the game, spanning a rich history supplying international golfing tournaments, from The Open, to the US Masters, to the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

READ: Watch Ryan Fox’s incredible chip in to win the Myrtle Beach Classic

Arena Group Ambassador Hannah Screen – Rose Ladies Series

Paul Berger, Arena Group CEO, said, “At Arena, we believe in investing in exceptional talent and fostering a spirit of achievement. This weekend, that vision was powerfully reflected in the successes of Ryan Fox and Hannah Screen with their momentous wins on the PGA Tour and the Rose Ladies Tour.

“With fellow Arena Ambassador, Curtis Knipes, also continually improving and working to regain his HotelPlanner Tour place, it fills me with immense pride watching these athletes excel.  We are committed to supporting their journey every step of the way.

“Supporting our ambassadors is not just about celebrating their success but cultivating and inspiring the next generations of champions too. Golf is a key industry for us, and I am thrilled to see our values reflected in the success and determination of our athletes.”

Fox’s win has secured him the final invite to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow being played this week. It has also guaranteed his PGA Tour Card until 2027, qualified him for The Sentry and THE PLAYERS Championship for the 2026 season, and has him leading the AON Swing 5.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rose Ladies Golf (@roseladiesgolf)

Screen achieved 3 LET Top 10s in 2024 including a season-ending T10 at the Andalucian Open to finish 58th on the Order of Merit. She was also the runner-up at the LET Access Series Rose Ladies Open. Screen has now claimed her maiden victory on the Rose Ladies Series, continuing a strong start to her 2025 season.

Curtis Knipes continues to battle it out on the Clutch Pro Tour and the HotelPlanner Tour with consistent performances throughout the year.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

X

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Main Image: Arena Group Facebook

The post Arena Group celebrates a historic transatlantic double win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Ryan, your win in Ras Al Khaimah in 2022 was at the time, your biggest win outside of Australasia. How significant was that win at Al Hamra for you back then?

It was a really big win for me.

I’d had a tough run through Covid in 2020/21 and had a chunk of time off at the end of 2021. After a slow start in Abu Dhabi and Dubai I was a looking forward to heading back to Ras Al Khaimah.

I remembered playing well there on Challenge Tour and I liked the course. We were then there for two weeks during Covid, the first week I tweaked my back and missed the cut, but it was sorted for the second week and played great all week.

It was certainly an uncomfortable Sunday as I started with a huge lead and that all but disappeared early on Sunday, but I was really pleased with how I fought back through the middle of the round and I closed with a more flattering winning margin than it felt like out there.

To win so early in the season was great for the confidence and took the pressure off for a while and It really set me up for what happened the rest of 2022 and 23.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Keeping it in the Middle East, you partnered with the Arena Group last year, how special is it to have been associated with them especially with the relationship they have with golf tournaments here?

It’s been great to be partnered with a company like Arena. They are an amazing bunch of people to be involved with and obviously their business is huge in the world of golf, and in the Middle East.

It all actually started in the Middle East from a Q&A visit to one of their chalets during the Dubai Desert Classic and it’s been a great partnership ever since.

2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic

From my point of view having an understanding of what Arena Group does especially in the golf space has really opened my eyes to what work goes on behind the scenes at tournaments.

As players we tend to take for granted all the temporary structures (Grandstands, Hospitality Etc.) as they are just part of an event, but I’ve really enjoyed learning a bit about how it all comes together and how much work goes on in a very short space of time to get it all ready for us to play at a venue.

This September you are returning to Wentworth as the defending champ, how special will that be? You became not only the first Kiwi to win the flagship event on the DP World Tour, but it was your first Rolex Series title, and with an added bonus of having your family in tow.

Honestly, it’s still a bit surreal to me what happened last year.

It’s such an iconic event on the DP World Tour and to be able to head back there as DC this year will be an amazing experience. To win my first Rolex Series title was a big one. I’d gone close a couple of times and it was nice to get over the line, especially it being the flagship event for the DP World Tour. It was probably the most unexpected one for me as I had generally never played very well at Wentworth.

To have the family there was pretty special too. Not sure the kids were quite old enough to understand what happened, but we had some pretty cool photos with them and the trophy.

Richard Heathcote

You really brought it home on the back nine with a six-under par 31. What are your overriding memories from that back nine, especially with the calibre of players at the top of the leaderboard?

That back nine is probably the best nine holes I ever played. I honestly thought I’d ruined my tournament after making seven on the third hole and I was just playing for a place after that.

I steadied the ship with a couple of birdies on the front nine and then just got hot on the back. I basically hit every shot exactly where I wanted to hit it, except for the tee shot on the 15th, which still wasn’t bad after a big delay.

I was so calm that whole back nine too and didn’t think about anything else except the golf shots and I really wish I could find that place a bit more.

I didn’t even think about who was on the leaderboard until I saw the leaderboard while waiting for the prize presentation.

I actually surprised myself when I saw the leaderboard and realised I’d beaten a lot of the Ryder Cup team down the stretch.

Would you say that win completely changed your season and the rest of 2023 on the DP World Tour?

Completely. I’d say it changed my career pretty much.

Obviously, it’s such an iconic event with some amazing names on the trophy. But it also locked up my status for a while and locked up a top 10 Race to Dubai Rankings finish and with it a PGA Tour card.

On that, how have you found that transition to the PGA Tour, and the balancing act of managing two tours?

Yeah, it’s been tough. I did a bit of it the year before and I was away a lot leaving the family at home and I missed a lot of things with the kids.

This year we decided to travel round the U.S. with the whole family. We did 20 weeks with the kids and by the end of it my wife and I were almost broken!

We didn’t have a base, and I played a lot which didn’t help but we had some good times too. My wife was a trooper managing to keep everything organised while on tour and the kids handled it pretty well, but we will definitely do it again a little differently next year with a base and hopefully less travel for the family.

David Cannon – Getty Images

You’ve have Jamie Gough as a coach for a few years now. How beneficial has he been over that time? Looking in, there is something that bonds you guys together really well.

Having Goughie on board has been really good the last two and a half years.

We get along really well (and did so before we even worked together) and having someone to keep the swing in check week in week out has been huge for
my consistency.

We have worked consistently on a few things I’ve fought my whole career and that has paid off, and it felt like we never really tried to reinvent the wheel with my swing. It’s unique and I do a few funky things but I also do a lot of good things and I think we have gelled so well right from the start. Meeting Goughie has allowed me to keep my idiosyncrasies, while working subtly on getting things better and more consistent.

You notched your third Olympic Games this summer, would you class yourself as a veteran when it comes to competing in the Olympics? How contrasting have those three different games been?

Not sure I ever thought I would be an Olympian growing up let alone a three-time one. So I guess I am a veteran. I haven’t played overly well at the three I’ve been to, but getting to represent your country is something that I grew up wanting to do, and in golf you don’t get to do it that often. So to do it three times at the Olympics is very special.

They have been three very different games that’s for sure. Rio was a great experience and it was a great honour to make that team from being on the Challenge Tour. Tokyo was a tough week overall, just so many Covid restrictions and we didn’t really get to experience what the Olympics has to offer. Then Paris just now was unbelievable really. The crowds were amazing and the atmosphere on the course I think caught everyone by surprise.

It really felt like golf found its place in the Olympics in Paris and hopefully it only gets bigger.

Is this year’s President’s Cup on your mind, especially after missing out in 2022? Yeah it was a huge goal at the start of this year to get in. I felt like I gave myself a good chance in 2022 but obviously didn’t get a pick.

I don’t feel like I’ve played well enough this year to get a pick unfortunately. I started the qualifying period really well but this year hasn’t been what I would have liked. We will see what happens, but maybe 2026 will be my year.

Finally, a big push for you this season must be to qualify for the final two events on the DP World Tour in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. What does it mean to play in those elevated events at the end of the season?

Yeah, they are two events I’ve always enjoyed playing although my results don’t really show that. I’ve had two goals at the end of the season. First and foremost is to keep my PGA Tour card the second is to qualify for the DP World Tour playoffs at the end of the year.

It’s going to require some tough scheduling decisions and some good play, but I’ve got a bit of a break now so hopefully come back refreshed and in form for the latter part of the season on both tours.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Getty Images

The post “It’s still a bit surreal” Ryan Fox exclusive appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubai-based prodigy Rayhan Thomas has turned professional and we have his first exclusive interview. Keeping it with the young pros, Swede Christofer Rahm tells us about his journey of growing up in the UAE. Ryan Fox gives us an exclusive interview on defending the upcoming BMW PGA Championship and his relationship with the Middle East. We took a trip to Andalucia in Spain and showed you the best courses to play in the Spanish sun. Plus plenty of golf instructions from the game’s best including Phil Mickelson and Linn Grant. All this and much, much more in the September 2024 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download it to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite golf club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get your September 2024 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Challenge Tour has shown another sign of its growth in  popularity as it signed an agreement with Arena Group until 2025.

The deal will see will see the global events solutions business become an Official Sponsor the Challenge Tour’s UAE swing — the UAE Challenge and the Abu Dhabi Challenge.

This partnership further cements Arena’s long-standing relationship with golf, where it provides event infrastructure to some of the sport’s biggest tournaments. The company is committed to giving back to the game and partners with a number of professional players including DP World Tour’s Ryan Fox.

“Golf has been a cornerstone of Arena’s business for many years, and we’re delighted to further our commitment by becoming a partner of the Challenge Tour” said Paul Berger, Chief Executive Officer of Arena Group.

“The Challenge Tour is highly competitive and gives a platform to the next generation of professional golfers, and Arena is thrilled to support the development of these future stars.

“At Arena we remain committed to supporting the golf industry, its tournaments and players as the game continues to grow throughout the world.”

Jamie Hodges, Challenge Tour Director, added: “We’re delighted that Arena are choosing to invest in the Challenge Tour, and the new UAE swing in particular, for three seasons. With this partnership, we can further elevate these two events as we continue to grow our schedule and give talented players from around the world a strong and competitive pathway to the DP World Tour.”

The post Arena Group becomes Official Sponsor of the Challenge Tour’s UAE swing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.