Jon Rahm out of Memorial Tournament with COVID midway through record-setting performance

Jon Rahm is a professional golfer, which means that he spends a good amount of his life traveling, a lot of time on airplanes and in hotels and other common areas where a lot of people mass and spread germs.

Since the start of 2021, Rahm has played tournaments in Kapalua, Hawaii; San Diego; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Palisades, Calif.; Bradenton, Fla.; Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Austin, Tex.; Augusta, Ga.; Avondale, La.; Charlotte; McKinney, Tex.; and Kiawah Island, S.C., plus wherever else he’s been during weeks when he wasn’t playing a PGA Tour event.

Still, Rahm decided, for whatever reason, not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. We know this because, as the , fully vaccinated players do not have to be tested for coronavirus as a result of close contact. Because Rahm didn’t get the vaccine, when he had a close contact, he started getting daily tests.

So, even though Rahm tied the 54-hole record at The Memorial, taking a six-shot lead through three rounds at 18 under par, his positive test means he’s out of the tournament.

Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa are the new co-leaders heading into Sunday’s final round, and both played with Rahm on Saturday — Morikawa during the morning finish to the delayed second round. And it doesn’t sound like Cantlay is vaccinated, either.

“I’ve got to imagine I have antibodies” is not what someone who had a needle in their arm would say. And if you’ve already had the virus, why risk the chance that you didn’t develop antibodies, or have lost them, and could contract COVID again?

It’s all a special kind of stupid from people who don’t have an excuse not to know better. Maybe losing the chance to join Tiger Woods in golf history as repeat Memorial champions, not to mention losing a million and a half bucks in prize money, will make Rahm rethink some things.