Jon Rahm has withdrawn this Friday from The Players tournament, the one considered the fifth largest, and which is held in Florida (United States), after being ill with gastroenteritis.
The Basque golfer finished the first day with -1, seven strokes from the lead, but this Friday the round has not even started after spending a bad night, with a headache and fever.
The number one in the world went to the Sawgrass field and was on the practice field before the scheduled time to start playing, 12:56 local time.
After testing, Rahm decided not to start.
Rahm's withdrawal may mean that on Sunday he loses the first place in the world rankings.
This will depend on how the American Scottie Scheffler and the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy remain in The Players, precisely his two roundmates this Thursday.
Jon Rahm has withdrawn from @THEPLAYERSChamp due to illness.
pic.twitter.com/hgYdt5HK1Y
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 10, 2023
Rahm already had to withdraw from a tournament in June 2021. In that case it was the Memorial Tournament, the appointment of Jack Nicklaus, when he was the prominent leader after the third day.
At the end, the organization's doctors told him that he had tested positive for covid in an exam that week.
The current mishap is a break in Rahm's astonishing run in recent months, with five wins in the last 10 tournaments he has played, a hat-trick of wins this year.
His worst result among them was 39th place last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The collection of good results feeds Rahm's faith ahead of the first big of the season, the Augusta Masters, from April 6 to 9.
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