Posted on 06/05/2021 5:13:57 PM PDT by FLNittany
Jon Rahm was rolling in dominant fashion to his second consecutive Memorial Tournament win after an unbelievable 64 on Saturday at Muirfield Village. Things took a devastating turn post-round, however, as he was alerted by the PGA Tour that he tested positive for COVID-19 and would be forced to withdraw from the tournament after three rounds.
Rahm was informed by the PGA Tour on Monday that he was in contact tracing protocol as he was in close proximity to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Rahm tested negative throughout the week but a positive test popped up on Saturday while he was on the course. He was informed shorty after shooting his 64 -- one of the best rounds on the PGA Tour all year -- and immediately withdrew from the tournament.
"On the evening Monday, May 31, the PGA TOUR notified Jon Rahm that he was subject to contact-tracing protocols, as he had come in close contact with a person who was COVID positive," The PGA Tour said in a statement. "Per the TOUR's COVID Health & Safety Plan, Rahm was given the option to remain in the competition and enter our tracing protocol, which includes daily testing and restricted access to indoor facilities. Rahm has remained asymptomatic.
Rahm has tested negative every day, but his most recent test -- which was performed after the conclusion of his second round (rain delayed) and before the start of his third round -- returned positive at approximately 4:20 p.m. ET while Rahm was on the golf course. The PGA TOUR's medical advisor requested a confirmatory test on the original sample, which came back at 6:05 p.m. ET, and was also positive.
The PGA TOUR's medical advisor notified Rahm immediately upon completion of his round, and under TOUR protocols, he will be withdrawn from the competition. Rahm is now in isolation, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, he will need to remain in isolation through Tuesday, June 15.
While this is an incredibly unfortunate situation, throughout 50 events since the PGA TOUR's Return to Golf, there have been only four positive tests (including Rahm) within competition; Rahm is the first positive, asymptomatic case as part of the TOUR's routine, contact-tracing protocols."
Rahm, who was looking for his first win of 2021, was absolutely in full control of a difficult golf course. He was first in strikes gained off the tee, on approach shots and from tee to green as well as second in putting. He'd gained a preposterous 21 strokes on the field through 54 holes against one of the best non-major fields of the entire year.
Nevertheless, somebody else will win now take home the tournament title. Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay are both 12 under, six back of where Rahm was after 54 holes, but will play together late on Sunday with the tournament on the line. Both of these golfers have won tournaments at this course over the last two years -- Cantlay at the 2019 Memorial and Morikawa at the 2020 Workday Charity Open.
Watch it be a false positive and he is not sick. This really sucks.
Even if he does have it and is asymptomatic, is there any harm letting him play? Just mask him up and put a face shield on him. Keep him away from others. They are outdoors, for crying out loud.
His parents still haven’t seen his newborn, nor him since Feb 2020.
You can't run a 40X test and expect a meaningful result.
Rahm should tell them to keep everybody 20 feet away and let him play!
He could have had a false positive also
Unreal.
Some bookies are paying out rahm bets as winners. I think draftkings is one.
Some people are saying people he played with should get the boot too due to contract tracing...although i suspect they are bettors who are betting on someone else
Why test anyone who doesn’t exhibit any symptoms. We don’t test everyone for the flu, only if they have symptoms. Rahm should sue.
He’s probably asking the PGA, “I’m kicking everyone’s ass by at least six strokes and you’re telling me I have the rona? How is it even possible for me to be standing here talking to you if I’m supposed to be sick with the oh-so deadly and debilitating rona?”
I like this idea.
Jordan Spieth had to play a round solo when his pairing partner withdrew mid-round a few months ago.
-PJ
. It moved me to tears.
*****************************
Did it move you to tears when not a single one of these weasel golfers stood up for Trump when they took the future PGA major away from Trumps course? Golf used to be one of my favorite sports but I haven’t watched a minute since they took the tournament away from Trump’s course. Go start a GoFundMe page for the guy and buy yourself a box of tissues while you’re at. Talk about melodramatic.
Masks and 500X social distance to the pin doesn’t work in golf?
I had to give it up early because of the rude snobbish hypocrites yelling at me for picking up $5 golf balls from out of bounds.
Too bad, it had all been going so well for the PGA tour since they took the plunge into this post-COVID sports venture, only a handful of positive tests and usually known far enough in advance that the players just pulled out of a couple of tournaments. Several big-name players have tested positive in the past, I can think of Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Webb Simpson, none of them got particularly sick.
Even Jack Nicklaus, the host of this current tournament, said he had the COVID last February (2020) and it was just a mild cold-like illness that hardly slowed down his routine, which at 80 years of age probably isn’t all that much I suppose.
They should let Rahm play with a marker or something, this is a crazy outcome and I’ll bet he doesn’t even have it. Webb Simpson didn’t have it either (a series of positive and negative tests anyway). I think I had it last night, at least I sneezed a couple of times. Probably just allergies though. But just to be safe, my wife took off for a week.
Wow - heart breaking ...
Probably a false positive. I smell a rat.
Who’s vaccine did he not take?
Most people who have covid don’t even know they have it. Many just stay home and feel tired for a few days. My neighbor, who works at the hospital, caught it and stayed home. Her sons brought her groceries and other necessities and she’s fine again after a week.
My friend’s two wonderful grandsons got it and stayed in the house for a week. Didn’t even feel sick. Now they have natural immunity, as does my neighbor.
c-19 is vastly overrated. Rahm should most assuredly be allowed to play. Morikawa can stay 6 feet away.
So he had a cold. Big friggin deal. Humanity has lost its collective mind.
The Sopranos? Or?
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