Ryan Fox has shocked the fans by announcing his withdrawal from the Players Championship, hours before the event was supposed to kick off. The golfer was one of the biggest fan favourites for the event as his recent form in the signature tournaments has been pretty impressive. Earlier this season, Fox has shown his great click with the game by finishing tied for 7th place in the 2026 Genesis Invitational with a solid total score of 12 under par.
The PGA Tour Communication reported about Fox’s withdrawal from the Players on their X account, claiming that the golfer is suffering from some kind of illness. While the specifics for Fox’s illness were not detailed by the circuit, they did reveal that the 23-year-old David Ford will be replacing Fox in the Players Championship and will be a part of the same tee group.
The report by the circuit read,
“Ryan Fox (illness) WD prior to his first round of THE PLAYERS Championship. David Ford replaces Fox in the 1:18 p.m. tee time off No. 10 with Chris Kirk and Keegan Bradley.”
David Ford will play his first two rounds at the TPC Sawgrass with Chris Kirk and Keegan Bradley. The three of them will begin their opening round of the 2026 Players Championship from the back nine holes at 1:18 PM ET. This tee group will begin the second round by playing the front nine holes at 8:28 AM ET.
Talking back about Ryan Fox, the Valspar Championship is his next scheduled tournament appearance. The event will begin on March 19 and will be hosted by the Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida. This year’s Valspar Championship will have a total prize pool of $9.1 million, for which 156 golfers will be teeing off.
How did Ryan Fox fare in his last tournament this season?
Ryan Fox last competed in the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was held at Bay Hill Golf Club. Fox was rather strong throughout the event, but his effort faltered during the weekend rounds. The golfer began his opening round of the event with a total score of 4 under par, including 1 bogey (Hole 11) and 5 birdies (Holes 5, 13, 14, 15, and 16).
Following this, in the second round, Fox finished his campaign with a score of even par with one bogey (on Hole 14) and one birdie (on Hole 16). While the golfer had been in a stable position up to this point, Round 3 was nothing spectacular for Fox, who ended with a total score of 3 over par. The two-time PGA Tour winner struggled on the course, recording three bogeys (on holes 1, 4, and 17), two birdies (on holes 3 and 16), and one double bogey (on hole 15).
Fox made a minor recovery in the final round, posting a 1-under par round with four birdies (on holes 6, 7, 8, and 10) and three bogeys (on holes 2, 11, and 17). The golfer completed with a total score of 2 under par, tying for 24th place on the leaderboard.
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