Jon Rahm withdraws from Memorial after testing positive for COVID-19

DUBLIN, Ohio — Jon Rahm, who was leading the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament by six shots Saturday, was forced to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.

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Rahm, 26, the defending champion at the event in Dublin, Ohio, shot 64 in Saturday’s third round, but he was informed after the round when Tour officials alerted him that he had tested positive, CBS Sports reported.

According to the PGA Tour, Rahm was notified on Monday that he would be subject to contact tracing protocols, ESPN reported. That came after Rahm came into close contact with a person who was positive for COVID-19. He was given the option of remaining in the tournament with the stipulation that he would need to be tested daily. Rahm tested negative each day, but his most recent test, which came after the rain-delayed second round, was returned positive at about 4:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, the PGA Tour said in a statement.

A medical adviser from the Tour notified Rahm, who doubled over and said, “Not again,” according to Golfweek.

Rahm built his lead early in the tournament when he finished the rain-delayed second round with a 65 -- including a hole-in-one at No. 16 -- on Saturday morning. Rahm was at 18 under par through three rounds, six shots ahead of Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay for the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

Morikawa and Cantlay now share the lead at 12-under-par.

“That’s obviously really disappointing,” Cantlay told reporters. “It’s kind of the worst situation for something like that to happen and he played awesome today and it’s just, it’s really, it’s a shame. It’s unfortunate. I’ve already had COVID, so, yeah, I got to imagine I have antibodies, so I don’t feel too concerned, but obviously, it is somewhat of a concern, but I got to imagine that I had it earlier this year, so I’m feeling pretty OK about it.”

Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler played the third round with Rahm.

Scheffler said he was in scoring when Rahm told him the news, Golfweek reported.

“Jon looked very frustrated, which I thought was weird, so I kind of smiled at him thinking, I was, like, ‘Why, what happened?” Scheffler told reporters. “I was already inside. I didn’t see any activity on the green, so I kind of smiled at him just to see and, I mean, he just goes, ‘Good luck tomorrow,’ and, I’m, like, ‘Thanks, man. You play good. too.’

“I was just really confused,” Scheffler said. “He’s, like, ‘No, man, I just tested positive.’ My heart just sank. It’s terrible that that happened.”

In accordance with CDC guidelines, Rahm must remain in isolation through June 15, Golfweek reported. That puts his participation in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, which starts June 17, in jeopardy. Rahm won his first PGA Tour title in the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the website reported.

Rahm was the first positive asymptomatic case as part of the PGA Tour’s contract-tracing protocols, tour officials said.

Rahm was trying to become the first player since Tiger Woods (1999-2001) to win the Memorial Tournament in consecutive years, according to Bleacher Report. He has won five PGA Tour events and six tournaments on the international circuit since turning pro in 2016.

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