Huge sums of money on offer from golf's Saudi-backed LIV Tour aren't enough to deter Kiwi Ryan Fox from chasing his dream of playing on the PGA Tour, after the biggest year of his career.
To say 2022 has been a breakthrough year for Fox, 35, would be an understatement, as he announced himself as one of the game's biggest rising stars.
Playing on the European PGA Tour, Fox won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in February, before taking the biggest victory of his career at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October.
A further five top-three finishes and 10 top-10 placings have seen Fox rise to No.29 in world rankings, opening up an exciting 2023 for the Kiwi.
But with his success came an approach from the breakaway LIV Tour, which has divided the game this year, as huge sums of money tempted some of the best players in the world to defect at the expense of their own future on the PGA Tour and playing Major events.
For Fox, money wasn't a strong enough temptation to see him walk away from opportunities he's worked his whole career to achieve.
"It wasn't a direct offer or anything like that," Fox told Newshub. "It was just an expression of interest.
"For me, the events I'm going to get to play next year on the PGA Tour, it was kind of a no-brainer. They're events I've dreamed of.
"You throw the Masters and a bunch of the other Majors in there, and there's a bit of uncertainty about how LIV players are going to get treated around them. For me, I can't turn down that dream.
"It's going to be an awesome year in that regard, next year."
While Fox hasn't completely ruled out the chances of defecting to the LIV Tour, the Kiwi has added his voice to those urging for the split in the game to heal as soon as possible.
"I don't think you can ever call it a hard 'no'," he continued. "At some level going forward, they're going to have to get back together.
"While the competition has been great in the short term, with what's going on on all the different tours going on, the division has been really frustrating.
"You look at Tiger [Woods] and Rory [McIlroy] and those guys calling for them to sit down at a table to try and talk it out.
"It's never going to be a hard 'no' in that sense, but it's going to be a very interesting couple of years in the world of golf."
For now, Fox will enjoy the comforts of a Kiwi summer, back at home for the first time since April for a well-deserved break.
As 2023 creeps closer, he looks forward to what the new year will bring for his career.
"With where I'm ranked in the world at the moment, it opens a few doors in the States," he said.
"I can potentially play some of the bigger top 50 events. I'll obviously get some of the Majors... the Masters will be a big one for me.
"It'll probably be a bit of a learning experience for me next year. I'll get to play some events I've never played before, and get to play against the best players in the world week in, week out through a decent stretch, not just a couple of times a year.
"It's an opportunity to test myself more against the best players and potentially achieve that dream of getting on the PGA Tour."
