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| - Defending champion Jon Rahm was forced to withdraw from the US PGA Memorial tournament on Saturday after having seized a six-stroke lead with a stunning eight-under par 64 third round at Muirfield Village. Rahm had tested negative for four consecutive days only to return a positive test from a sample collected Saturday morning, after he made an ace at the par-3 16th in concluding his darkness-halted second round with a two-shot lead. In a statement, the US PGA Tour said it had informed Rahm on Monday he had been in close contact with someone confirmed with Covid-19 and the 26-year-old Spaniard, who was asymptomatic, chose to compete under tighter virus safety protocols, including daily testing and restricted access to facilities. Rahm's Saturday test was returned as positive while Rahm was on the course in his third round, the tour said, and a second test requested by a PGA medical advisor also came back positive just before Rahm finished the third round. When told of the result just off the 18th green, Rahm bent forward, his head in his hands and at his knees, then rose and yelled, "Not again." Rahm had been dazzling on the back nine with a stretch of six birdies in seven holes to stand on 18-under 198 after 54 holes and six strokes ahead in Dublin, Ohio. Rahm had matched Tiger Woods from 2000 for the largest 54-hole lead in Memorial history. He was hoping to match Woods as the event's only back-to-back winners. His 198 matched Scott Hoch's 54-hole tournament record from 1987. Instead, Rahm was withdrawn and Americans Patrick Cantlay, the 2019 Memorial winner, and Collin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Championship winner, shared the lead on 204 with American Scottie Scheffler and South African Brenden Grace sharing third on 207. js/gph
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