The chase is back on.
Returning home to New Zealand on the back of winning the Open Championship, Champion Golfer of the Year Ryan Fox sat in the clubhouse at Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club with the Claret Jug in pride of place.
It was a Tuesday morning, and the 39-year-old said he and his team originally had another plan for that date.
That plan was the launch of season five of Kiwibank Chasing the Fox, which will again be held at the Auckland club on December 11.
“It’s already been an amazing event, but we have a chance now to make it really special, like a celebration of Kiwi golf,” Fox said.
“It was amazing last year; the crowds out on the golf course were great. I don’t think we’ll have any problem with tickets this year. I think our issue might be the demand for tickets, which, that’s a good problem to have.”
Tickets are on sale today, and it is understood organisers are exploring a bump in crowd size from just under 4000 last year to around five or six thousand this year.
While a limit on numbers was still to be decided, event promoter Nick Randell said they wanted to step it up in the right way, maintaining the unique intimacy of the contest while understanding there would likely be more demand for tickets given Fox’s recent conquest in Britain.
The 2026 edition will follow the same format as last year, in which Fox will play with a teammate to try to beat a field of teams made up of personalities across various sports, media and other avenues all competing for prize money that goes directly to their chosen charities.
Last year, Fox teamed up with fellow Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier and won the event.
“We’re excited to have Kiwibank on board as naming partner, and there are some exciting new ideas in the works to further elevate the event,” Fox said.
“I think there’ll be a real buzz around it. It’s always special coming home to play in front of New Zealand fans, and I can’t wait to see everyone at Royal Auckland and Grange in December.”