Ryan Fox hits his tee shot at the seventh hole in the first round of the St Jude Championship 2025 at TPC Southwind, Memphis, 8 August 2025. on August 07, 2025 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo: AFP
Ryan Fox is struggling at the first PGA Tour playoff tournament, but fellow Kiwi Steven Alker is close up in the latest US Champions Tour event.
Fox carded a one-over par 71 in the second round of the St Jude tournament in Memphis, after a 72 in the first round.
He is in a tie for 61st in the 69-player field, 16 strokes behind Englishman Tommy Fleetwood who is chasing his first PGA Tour win.
Fox had a bad start, opening with a double bogey. He birdied the third, but two bogeys set him back, before three birdies and a bogey on his closing nine.
Fox, who was ranked 32nd in the FedEx Cup standings heading in this tournament, will be looking for rapid improvement in the final two rounds as he looks to make the top 50 for the second playoff tournament next week.
Fleetwood carded a 64 in his second round to be 13-under for the tournament, four strokes ahead of Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia and Justin Rose, who was one of 21 players still to complete the second round after play was stopped because of lightning. Rose has two holes to play.
World number one player Scottie Scheffler hit 66 to sit at seven-under.
Meanwhile, in the PGA Champions seniors tour Boeing Classic in Washington state, Alker is in a tie for fourth pace, just two strokes behind joint leaders, Jerry Kelly and Matthew Gogel, after the first round.
Alker started with an eagle on the first hole before firing a five-under 67.
He sits third on the Charles Schwab Cup season standings, behind Miguel Angel Jiminez and Padraig Harrington.
The Kiwi won the cup in 2022 and 2024.
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