Ryan Fox was all set to try to win a chunk of $25 million at TPC Sawgrass, but his body had other plans. He was forced to withdraw just hours before his scheduled Thursday morning tee time due to kidney stones. Two weeks later, Fox returns to the field at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, having witnessed a brutal ordeal, and he is sharing it with the community.

“First got it Tuesday night and was rolling around on the floor, and then taken into the emergency room,” Fox told Golf Today. “At first, I thought I would be able to pass them through and would be good to go out on Thursday, but on Wednesday, the stones came back with vengeance and started causing issues again, and I was back in the emergency room again.”

He remained under observation for three or four hours on Wednesday afternoon as doctors were still hopeful that he would pass the stone naturally during the night. Had he done that, he could tee off at the Tour’s flagship event. Yeah, sure, he’d need some pain relief, but he was willing to do it. However, the optimism vanished by sunrise.

“Unfortunately, I had no relief during the night and went back into the ER about 6:00 in the morning on Thursday morning,” Fox recalled. “At that point, I knew I definitely wasn’t playing. And I saw the doctor again, and he’s like, ‘Well, you’ve got no chance of passing it now. We’ve got to go in there and get rid of them.’”

“So they ended up shoving a laser somewhere that it wasn’t supposed to go. Shoved up, and they got broken up and vacuumed out,” Fox shared. “So it wasn’t a very fun little period there, but um, yeah, I’m… I’m glad it’s over.”

Surgeons performed a laser lithotripsy to pulverize the stones, leaving Fox with a ureteral stent for a week to manage the inflammation. He referred to it as a little tube. The pro summarized the experience as “absolutely brutal.”

Fox’s official withdrawal was processed at 7:56 AM, only moments before the first round began. David Ford took his place. The Kiwi golfer also posted the news on Instagram. So, when asked what was worse, missing the PGA Tour’s flagship event or the physical agony of the stones, Fox didn’t hesitate.

“Definitely the kidney stones. The Players sucked, but I do not want that pain ever again,” he said.

Ryan Fox is hardly the first golfer to be sidelined by this condition. Former Players champion Davis Love III famously had to withdraw from his title defense at the 2007 Wyndham Championship due to kidney stones, undergoing surgery that same week. Ryan Blaum and Mackenzie Hughes went through a similar ordeal.

For Fox, the timing of it all was particularly devastating.

Ryan Fox’s season was derailed at the wrong time

Fox was playing the best golf of his career. His 2025 season was a breakthrough campaign featuring two PGA Tour victories at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open. It validated his place among the world’s elite, with Fox stating they made him feel like he finally belonged on the Tour. His 2026 start had also been equally impressive, with four consecutive top-25 finishes leading into The Players, including a T-7 at the Genesis.

“It’s a shame it happened during The Players week,” Fox said. “I obviously was in pretty decent form leading into it and was really looking forward to the week. The expectations this week aren’t overly high.”

“I didn’t touch a golf club for 10 days. It [kidney stones] did take a lot out of me. I wouldn’t say it was a very comfortable week after that, but it was a whole lot more fun than having kidney stones.”

He sure isn’t expecting much, but his primary motivation to return is the upcoming 90th Masters Tournament. He missed his chance to play last season, but after 2025, he earned his way back.

“It’s more about getting a hit out before the Masters, to be honest,” Fox said. “There are some places around there where you can’t afford to miss it. Some of those misses—the guys avoid those places like the plague, and for good reason. There’s just that much to it.”