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As the reality of Jon Rahm’s sudden and forced withdrawal from the Memorial Tournament that he was leading by six strokes with 18 holes remaining settled in, another question loomed.
Forced into a 10-day isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday at Muirfield Village, Rahm’s status for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines now comes into question.
Rahm, who was asymptomatic at the Memorial, would be cleared to end his isolation June 15, just two days before the U.S. Open begins in San Diego. He is considered one of the favorites in the U.S. Open but the jarring twist that came to light late Saturday afternoon will limit his preparation dramatically.
Under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, if Rahm can produce two negative tests at least 24 hours apart, he will be allowed to leave isolation early.
Andy Levinson, the PGA Tour’s vice president of tournament administration, would not say Saturday night whether Rahm had been vaccinated but Levinson added “north of 50 percent” of tour players are fully vaccinated.
Through the tour’s testing program, it was determined Rahm had come in close contact with an infected person and he was notified on Monday. He was allowed to remain in the tournament but undergo daily testing. He did not have a positive test result until Saturday after he had completed his second round.
A secondary test was run to confirm the original positive result and the results were confirmed around the time Rahm was finishing his third round. He was informed off the 18th green by Dr. Tom Hospel, the PGA Tour’s medical director.
Rahm posted a statement on social media expressing his disappointment, adding, “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. 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.”
Tour officials also interviewed Rahm’s Saturday playing partners, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler, both of whom had contracted COVID-19 previously. Both were tested Sunday morning before the final round.
It was the fourth time in 50 events a positive test result has come back on a player during competition. It was the first time, according to a tour release, the player has been identified through contact tracing and been asymptomatic. The other players were not identified.
Ron Green Jr.