Tokyo Olympics 2020: Golf world number one Rahm positive for COVID-19, out of Games

Tokyo: World No. 1 golfer Jon Rahm has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been ruled out of the Tokyo Olympics, the International Golf Federation said today. The Spaniard had tested positive in the final testing protocol before leaving for the Olympics, the IGF said.

This is the second positive test for Rahm in less than two months. He was holding a six-shot lead after three rounds at the Memorial in early June when he was informed as he was coming off the course that he had tested positive and would have to withdraw.

He came back two weeks later to win the US Open and vault to No. 1 in the world. And now, Tokyo will be without the last two US Open winners: American Bryson DeChambeau, won it at Winged Foot in 2020, has also had to withdraw through COVID-19.

After his win at Torrey Pines, Rahm said he was vaccinated when he tested positive at the Memorial, but still had to be quarantined because he had not been vaccinated for 14 days.

"Looking back on it, yeah, I guess I wish I would have done it (vaccination) earlier," Rahm said then. "But thinking on scheduling purposes and having the PGA and defending Memorial, to be honest it wasn't in my mind."

The men’s competition starts on Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club.