Fox out of Players Championship with illness

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Fox of New Zealand withdrew from the Players Championship on Thursday about five hours before he was to start.

In an Instagram post later in the day, Fox said he had kidney stones Tuesday night, leading him to have surgery Thursday.

Fox was replaced in the 123-man field by David Ford, who was among the 15 players competing for the first time at the TPC Sawgrass.

Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic and the RBC Canadian Open last year and is No. 44 in the world ranking. His withdrawal gives the Players 45 of the top 50 players in the world.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.