PGA Tour golfer Ryan Fox withdrew from The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass hours before his scheduled tee time on Thursday, citing kidney stones that required surgery. David Ford replaced him in the field as the first alternate. Fox, who entered the week in strong form, expressed devastation over missing the event.
Ryan Fox arrived at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship in 2026 as one of the PGA Tour's most consistent performers. He had recorded four top-25 finishes earlier in the season, earning $1.7 million and ranking No. 44 in the world. His recent results included a T24 at the WM Phoenix Open, T24 at Pebble Beach, T7 at the Genesis Invitational where he earned $603,200, and T24 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. This placed him 34th in FedExCup points with 287. Statistically, Fox ranked 21st in Strokes Gained: Total, with a driving distance of 314.4 yards (17th on Tour) and 80th in SG: Approach.
However, kidney stones struck on Tuesday night, forcing his withdrawal five hours before his 1:18 p.m. ET tee time on Thursday alongside Chris Kirk and Keegan Bradley. Fox underwent surgery that morning and shared an update from his hospital bed on Instagram: “Not exactly the week I had planned here @theplayers. Unfortunately, some kidney stones took me down on Tuesday night, and then I 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.”
David Ford, the first alternate and top finisher in the 2025 PGA Tour University rankings, filled Fox's spot. Ford recently tied for 16th at the Puerto Rico Open. John Parry became the next alternate for the 123-player field, which still featured 45 of the top 50 players worldwide.
Fox's history at The Players showed improvement: T-27 in 2023, missed cut in 2024, and T-20 in 2025. Fans rallied on social media, with comments like “All the best for your recovery, Foxy!” and “Gutted for you Foxy. Heal well. Sending love to gorgeous Annika too xxx.” Others urged a speedy recovery ahead of The Masters in five weeks. Despite the setback, Fox's strong season continues.
