Defending Memorial Tournament champion Jon Rahm was withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament Saturday after testing positive for COVID-19, the PGA Tour announced. Rahm was leading the tournament by six shots at 18-under par heading into Sunday’s final round.

Part of the PGA Tour’s statement reads:

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. 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.

Since the PGA TOUR returned to golf last summer, there have been only four positive tests (including Rahm) within competition.

Rahm’s Rounds

Jon Rahm started Saturday with a hole-in-one on No. 16 to build a two-shot lead and complete his weather delayed second round. Round 3 was all Rahm, as he extended his lead to six shots. He was 18-under par and leading the field in most strokes gained categories.

• SG: Tee-to-Green
• SG: Off-the-Tee
• SG: Approach-the-Green
• SG: Total
• 3rd in SG: Putting and 2nd in Driving Accuracy.

But the feel good feeling became a gut punch for Rahm after learning of the news.

For many bettors, it’s truly a “bad beat” if you bet Rahm to win the tournament at any point, or bet on him as a favorite in any of his tournament match-ups.

Rahm was the pre-tournament favorite at +1100, or 11/1. He was +200 before Round 2 was completed, and bet down to +135 at FanDuel Sportsbook and +120 at William Hill heading into Saturday’s third round.

Rahm was also a sizeable favorite in a number of head-to-head tournament match-ups, and those bets have turned from near certain winners to losers.

A bettor sent me a text. “You want to talk about bad beats. A 16 shot lead with Rahm over Spieth.”

A Relief for Rahm Bettors

But some sportsbooks are paying out Jon Rahm tournament win bets as winners. That includes William Hill, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and PointsBet. Check your sportsbook for payout plans, including for top-5, 10 and 20 finishing position on Rahm bets and any tournament match-ups for payouts or refunds.

The payout notice will certainly make a William Hill bettor happy, as that person wagered $3,000 on Rahm (+1200) to win the Memorial Tournament.

With Rahm out of the event, most recent Memorial Tournament champions Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa are tied for the lead at 12-under par heading into Sunday’s final round. They hold a 3-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Branden Grace.

But beyond the bets, there are positives including from Jon Rahm. He sent a tweet thanking fans for their support, and of being positive during times of setbacks.

Tournament host Jack Nicklaus also responded to the news.

In accordance with CDC guidelines, Jon Rahm will need to remain in isolation through Tuesday, June 15. Once cleared, he should be ready to tee-it-up as one of the leading favorites at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open starting June 17.

A quick check of the odds at FanDuel Sportsbook shows Jon Rahm is the favorite at +800 followed by five golfers at +1400 - Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

A check of some other legal U.S. sportsbooks shows the best odds on Rahm to win the U.S. Open are +1300 at William Hill.

Rahm will be ready to fire for his first major title.

You can bet on it.