Jon Rahm forced to withdraw from Memorial Tournament with 6-shot lead after positive COVID-19 test
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June 5, 2021, 10:49 PM
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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleDUBLIN, Ohio -- Jon Rahm, leading the Memorial Tournament by 6 strokes, was informed following Saturday's third round that he tested positive for COVID-19 and was withdrawn from the tournament.
Rahm, ranked second in the world, was given the news by PGA Tour medical personnel as he walked off the 18th green at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he is the defending champion.
"I'm very disappointed in having to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament. This is one of those things that happens in life, one of those moments where how we respond to a setback defines us as people," Rahm wrote in a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday evening. "I'm very thankful that my family and I are all OK. I will take all of the necessary precautions to be safe and healthy, and I look forward to returning to the golf course as soon as possible.
"Thank you to all of the fans for their support and I'm looking forward to watching the showdown tomorrow afternoon with you all."
According to the PGA Tour, Rahm was notified on Monday that he would be subject to contact tracing protocols after coming into close contact with a person who was positive for COVID-19. Per the PGA Tour's health and safety plan, Rahm was allowed to remain in the tournament with the stipulation that he be tested every day and was restricted from using indoor facilities, such as the clubhouse and locker room.
Rahm, 26, had tested negative every day, but his most recent test -- performed following the conclusion of his rain-delayed second round on Saturday morning and before the start of his third round in the afternoon -- returned a positive result at 4:20 p.m. local time while he was still on the course. A PGA Tour medical advisor requested a confirmatory test on the original sample, which came back positive at 6:05 p.m., just as Rahm was finishing his third round.
"It's a very unfortunate situation, obviously,'' said Andy Levinson, the PGA Tour's senior vice president of tournament administration. "The protocol that we have had in place for the last 50 events is being followed to the letter and unfortunately we are in a situation where we are this evening.''
Rahm, the winner of five PGA Tour events, is asymptomatic. He is required to isolate for 10 days unless he is negative on two COVID-19 tests 24 hours apart. That puts him in isolation until June 15, two days before the start of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where Rahm won the 2017 PGA Tour event.
Levinson would not disclose whether Rahm had received the COVID-19 vaccine. But under tour protocols that align with CDC guidelines, players who are fully vaccinated are no longer subject to weekly testing. Levinson also said that vaccinated players would not be subject to the contact tracing that Rahm was part of this week.
Levinson said Rahm was taking part in social distancing measures during the tournament. The PGA Tour said Saturday night that all those who had been in contact with Rahm -- including Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and their caddies -- were cleared through contact tracing protocols to proceed in the tournament.
Cantlay is now tied for the 54-hole lead with Morikawa at 12 under, 3 strokes ahead of Scheffler and Branden Grace.
"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 a shame," Cantlay said.
Scheffler didn't see Rahm behind the green and wasn't sure what was going on when he walked into the scoring room to sign his card. He said Rahm looked frustrated.
"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 happened. I think it's terrible they told him in front of the cameras. It just stinks for him."
Asked if there was any way for Rahm to have continued in the tournament, via a one-person group or because golf is played outside and distancing is possible, Levinson said tour protocols don't allow it.
"We have followed our medical advisor's recommendations on this, and that is not something that any medical advisor that we worked with has suggested, that we would allow someone who is actively infected to participate in our competition, where we know that,'' Levinson said. "And it wouldn't be in line with the CDC's protocols as well, so I don't see us changing that particular protocol."
