John Rahm has tested positive to COVID-19 and has been forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament where he was leading by six shots.
Jon Rahm finished his third round six strokes clear of the rest of the field and on his way to winning a second consecutive Memorial Tournament in Ohio.
But as the Spaniard left the green to sign his scorecard, he was informed by tournament officials that his second COVID test had also tested positive and he would be forced to withdraw from the tournament.
Surreal TV moment as six-stroke leader Jon Rahm learns he tested positive for COVID and Jim Nantz tries to make sense of it without knowing what Rahm's been told pic.twitter.com/WvD6LmAlxs
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 5, 2021
Some golf fans have suggested the PGA Tour could have done this a little better by waiting until Rahm was off camera and away from the fans before informing him of the result.
While others have suggested Rahm himself could have avoided the situation altogether by simply withdrawing after he received a positive result earlier in the day.
Rahm instead chose to play and requesting a second test.
It would also be remiss of the PGA Tour to wait until Rahm had passed a stack of fans before informing of his positive result.
They’re bound by a duty of care to the tournament attendees and officials, doing everything they can to ensure Rahm does not pass it on to anyone else on the golf course.
He tested positive during the rain break and insisted on a second verification test. He knew when he walked out on that course that he could at any time he told it was verified as a second positive. He chose to be in public when told.
— ProudDem (@ProudDem6) June 6, 2021
Rahm could’ve also avoided the situation by getting vaccinated.
It should be noted that while getting vaccinated does not mean one cannot contract COVID-19, it certainly provides incredibly good protection.
It’s all the more remarkable when you consider that a free vaccine clinic had been set up at the tournament all week.
Ironically, @MemorialGolf set up a free J&J vaccination clinic at Muirfield Village this week. Also, Tour relaxed covid protocols recently. Vaccinated no longer required to test or wear a masks at a tournament. #GetVaccinated
— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) June 5, 2021
When the PGA Tour relaunched with strict new protocols after a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was still concern that players could still test positive. Indeed, many players have tested positive including Australia’s Adam Scott.
There were greater concerns that a positive result could greatly affect the outcome of a golf tournament, perhaps shutting it down altogether.
But no one was expecting this kind of debacle.
Let’s hope it changes the PGA Tour’s vaccination policy so we don’t see a repeat of this again.
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