Fox becomes the first Kiwi to win the prestigious player-voted award since Michael Campbell received the honour in 2005.

Fox, who is a three-time winner on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia dating back to the 2014 WA Open, won twice on the DP World Tour in 2021-22 and finished a career-high second on the tour rankings.

He polled 50 per cent of the votes cast by players, with Rory McIlroy second and Matt Fitzpatrick in third.

The Kiwi was presented with the trophy by one of Seve’s sons Javier and his daughter Carmen, both of whom travelled to this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour – a tournament won by Seve himself in 1992 – to officially welcome Fox to the illustrious list of winners.

“It’s probably not something that I expected ever in my career,” Fox said of the honour.

“I would like to say it’s something I dreamed of, but you look at those names on the trophy and I probably don’t count myself as one of those. That is pretty cool, and to have Javier and Carmen come out and present it made it even more special.

“When Keith Pelley (DP World Tour chief executive) told me I was pretty shocked and obviously pretty chuffed as well. To have your peers vote for you makes it that extra bit special.

“Obviously Dunhill Links was a big highlight for me last year, to win around the Home of Golf, it doesn’t really get any better. I shared the experience with Shane Warne for the previous four or five Dunhills that I played, and it was a bit sad without him there last year. To honour him that way made it even more special.

“Seve is such an icon of golf, and I’m a bit of a golf nut. I knew the history of Seve but probably didn’t quite understand then, growing up in New Zealand, quite the influence he had over here.

“It’s cool to hear the stories from some of the older guys that played with him, but to have my name on the Seve Ballesteros Award, it’s kind of surreal. It’s pretty cool to be part of a little bit of history in that regard.”

Meanwhile in the rain-interrupted Hero Dubai Classic on the DP World Tour, Australian Lucas Herbert is in contention despite having played just three holes of his second round.

Herbert is at 5-under par, just three shots from the lead held by England’s Richard Bland and Ian Poulter. The tournament is now to be completed on Monday.

Two late bogeys saw Jason Day drop to a tie for 15th with one round to play at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Starting the day tied for 10th, Day picked up birdies at three and six but bogeys at seven, 15 and 16 will see him start the final round eight back of American Sam Ryder (12-under).