With two PGA Tour wins under his belt, Ryan Fox had a lot of expectations coming into THE PLAYERS Championship. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness.
Fox spent the previous day at the hospital and had his kidney stones surgically removed. Of course, the timing couldn’t have been worse. He provided an update on his condition in a social media post, sharing a picture of himself in a medical bed with a thumbs-up pose.
In the caption, he expressed his dissatisfaction, writing, “Not exactly the week I had planned here [THE PLAYERS Championship]. 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.”
The Kiwi star was on the rise ever since he won the OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open in 2025. Before that, he won four events on the European Tour, including the 2023 BMW PGA Championship by a margin of one stroke.
Additionally, Fox has won three events on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He has 19 professional victories in his career.
On the Official World Golf Ranking, Fox is at the 44th position. Unfortunately, he had to be replaced at THE PLAYERS Championship.
Who Replaced Ryan Fox at THE PLAYERS Championship?
In Fox’s stead, David Ford will compete against the 123-man field at THE PLAYERS Championship. He’s teed it off at 1:18 PM at number 10, alongside Chris Kirk and Keegan Bradley.
I’m the first alternate this week. Hoping to get in the field,” Ford said ahead of the event in a clip, Golf.com posted on X.
“Even if I don’t, it’s been sweet to experience the THE PLAYERS as a player. I’ve been here as a spectator,” said the young golfer who finished first in the 2025 PGA Tour University’s college rankings.
Ford is now among the 15 players competing at TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, for the first time in their career.