The US PGA TOUR’s newly crowned long drive king and the 2018 European Tour’s biggest hitter have been drawn alongside two-time defending champion Cameron Smith in a power-packed group for the opening two rounds of the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

Two-time PGA TOUR winner Cameron Champ and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Ryan Fox will partner Smith for the first 36 holes with Fox in the unfamiliar position of playing with someone who regularly hits it further than he does.

In 2018 Fox averaged a touch under 322 yards in driving distance on the European Tour, falling one spot from his mantle this year behind West Australian sensation Min Woo Lee.

At the conclusion of the Tour Championship Champ was feted as the PGA TOUR’s new purveyor of poundage with an average driving distance of 317.9 yards, adding a further 10 yards to that number in the early stages of the 2019/2020 season.

Not since his early days playing on the Australasian Tour alongside Newcastle’s Lincoln Tighe has Fox come up against a player with superior power and admits he will have to fight his own competitive instincts to stop from getting into a long drive competition with the California native.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it first-hand,” Fox said.

“It might be a bit of a novel thing for me to be honest. Hopefully I’ll try not to get caught up in the long drive comp.

“The first time I saw him was on the range at the US PGA Championship this year.

“It was freezing cold, it was windy, it was wet and they had the Toptracer set up on the range. He had me by 10 miles an hour in ball speed; he was almost 190 (m/h) ball speed and that with four layers on.

“Me, my coach and my caddie were standing there just laughing.

“I’m not short and I don’t think I’ve got that in 30 degrees with just a shirt on and feeling really good about myself.”

Where the burly Fox leaves no doubt as to the impression he makes on the back of the golf ball, Champ’s power is generated by a more effortless-looking speed, a power Fox compared to South African legend Ernie Els.

“Ernie was renowned as the ‘Big Easy’ but he hit it as hard as anyone,” said Fox, who will begin his Australian PGA tilt alongside Champ and Smith from the 10th tee at 6am on Thursday morning.

“He just generated the speed at the right time and his rhythm was really good and Cameron looks like he has that.

“It’s obviously quick, it looks quick but I’m sure if you put my swing and his swing side by side I look like I try to hit it harder. I think he’s just one of those really gifted athletes.

“I’ve talked to his coach Sean Foley about it a little bit at a couple of the majors and he’s pretty excited about where Cameron can go.

“Sean’s an excitable guy and a numbers guy but when you see how excited he is about Cameron Champ you know there’s something special there.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it first-hand.”

Winner of the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth tournament in February, Fox’s record at Royal Pines is only average but the 33-year-old has no doubt power is a plus around the Graham Marsh layout.

“There’s a lot of bunkers you can take out of play if you really bang it,” said Fox, who was tied for 52nd last year.

“There’s still enough trouble around here where you can get caught out but it certainly makes some of the par 5s a bit easier.

“I know for most of the field the third hole is almost out of reach and for me it’s touch and go if I hit a really good one. You add 30 or 40 yards on to that which I think Cameron’s got it all of a sudden becomes a fairly reachable par 5. The same with 12. That can be a pretty nasty hole at times and when you’re going in there with a 7-iron instead of a 4-iron the shot should theoretically be a little bit easier.

“I know what it’s like a little bit. Length is good when it’s going where you want it to go, it’s a curse when it’s not.

“Obviously Cam’s been playing some pretty good golf of late having a win a couple of months ago so I’m sure he’s in a good space and I’m sure the golf course will set up well for him.”