Ryan Fox withdraws from The Players Championship to have kidney stones removed

Ryan Fox, of New Zealand, hits out of a bunker... — Ryan Fox, of New Zealand, hits out of a bunker on the first hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum

By The Associated PressUpdated March 12, 2026 6:15 pm

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ryan Fox of New Zealand withdrew from The Players Championship on Thursday, spending the day in a hospital to have kidney stones removed.

Fox cited “illness” as the reason for his withdrawal. He later posted to Instagram that this was hardly a case of the flu or a stomach virus.

“Not exactly the week I had planned,” he wrote. “Unfortunately some kidney stones took me down on Tuesday night and then had to be dealt with surgically this afternoon. Devastated to miss out on such an amazing event, hoping to have a quick recovery and be back at it soon.”

Fox was replaced in the 123-man field by David Ford, who was among the 15 players competing for the first time at the TPC Sawgrass.

Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open last year and is No. 44 in the world ranking.