It takes a lot to keep Ryan Fox off the golf course.
The 39-year-old New Zealander was on fire to start 2026, placing inside the top 24 in all four tournaments he played in. He was slated to play at The Players Championship but his body had other plans.
A pair of kidney stones were discovered less than 48 hours before the tournament was about to commence, and had to be removed surgically which put the No. 45-ranked Fox on the mend — unable to do any heavy lifting for 10 days. That included golf clubs.
“First got it Tuesday night ... and was rolling around on the floor, and then taken into the emergency room,” Fox told “Golf Today” on Wednesday ahead of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. “At first, I thought I would be able to pass them through and would be good to go out on Thursday [at The Players] but on Wednesday the stones came back with vengeance ... and started causing issues again and I was back in the emergency room again.”
Fox called the kidney stones “absolutely brutal” and said he was glad to not have to deal with them anymore.
Despite trying to remain optimistic about The Players, Fox said he knew by Thursday morning he definitely wasn’t going to play when he was back again in the emergency room for a third time in as many days. That’s when the doctor told Fox passing the stones through was no longer going to be an option.
“They ended up shoving up a laser somewhere where it should never be shoved up ... it wasn’t a fun little period,” he added.
He returned to golf last weekend and believes his body is in good shape to play four rounds, if he were to make the cut at Memorial Park.
“Energy levels maybe not back up to 100% but outside of that I feel pretty good,” he admitted. “I look forward to getting out there and giving it another crack.”
Fox, who won twice on Tour in 2025, finished T-7 at the Genesis three weeks prior to the kidney stones.
He told Golf Channel that the wins last year made him feel like he “belonged” on the PGA Tour.
“It’s always nice when you prove it to yourself,” he said. “I’ve felt a lot better after those wins, knowing I can compete with these guys.”
Looking ahead to playing in his third Masters next month, Fox said his game wasn’t at the level as it was a year ago but getting close.
He said he’s learned something new about Augusta on each of his previous trips there (in 2023 and 2024), and expects this year’s tournament to be no different.
“There’s some places around there where you can’t afford to miss it,” he explained. “Some of those misses — the guys avoid those places like the plague, and for good reason.”
“There’s just that much to it,” he added.