Memorial Tournament 2021: Morikawa, Cantlay Lead After Rahm Withdraws Due to COVID-19

In a matter of moments, Jon Rahm's fate in the 2021 Memorial Tournament changed dramatically.

Rahm went eight under in the third round Saturday to improve to 18 under at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

The 26-year-old Spaniard was six shots ahead of Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa and tied the scoring record for the tournament through 54 holes. However, the PGA Tour announced he tested positive for COVID-19, which will require him to withdraw.

---

2021 Memorial Tournament Leaderboard

T1. Collin Morikawa (-12)

T1. Patrick Cantlay (-12)

T3. Branden Grace (-9)

T3. Scottie Scheffler (-9)

5. Max Homa (-6)

T6. Patrick Reed (-5)

T6. Si Woo Kim (-5)

T6. Lucas Herbert (-5)

T6. Carlos Ortiz (-5)

Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com

---

Rahm's best shot of the day came in the second round, part of which was pushed to Saturday morning because of weather delays earlier in the Memorial. His tee shot on No. 16 landed just short of the flagstick and bounced its way into the bottom of the cup for an ace.

Rahm had a solid start to his third round and really found his groove on the back nine. A bogey on No. 9 dropped him to two under as he made the turn. Following a par on No. 10, he reeled off six birdies over the next seven holes.

This 275-yard approach on the par-five 11th hole served as the start of his hot streak.

The same story played out on his next par five. He got onto the green in two thanks to a thunderous approach.

Rahm's tee shot on No. 16 came to a stop at the front edge of the green, leaving him with a difficult birdie putt. It proved to be no problem as he found the target from 37 feet out.

Iron play was one of the biggest reasons he held a massive lead on the rest of the field. According to PGATour.com, he had gained 5.003 strokes from his approach to the green and 6.891 strokes from tee to green.

Anything other than a Rahm victory Sunday evening would have been a surprise if he hadn't withdrawn.

Between winning last year and putting himself in pole position for the 2021 title, Rahm seemed to have cracked the code at Muirfield.

Morikawa's even-par 72 in the second round initially was proving to be costly. He matched his six-under 66 from the opening round Saturday yet remained some distance behind Rahm with 18 holes to play.

Likewise, Cantlay saw a one-shot deficit on Rahm through two rounds widen significantly as the day unfolded. He seemed to be well-positioned at three under as he moved onto the back nine. But he only managed one birdie on No. 11 before a bogey on No. 16 knocked him back to 11 under.

With the news of Rahm's withdrawal, Cantlay's birdie putt on 18 could be very important since he now has a share of the lead with Morikawa.

With the delays, making it to Saturday didn't necessarily mean you made the cut. Two over proved to be the cutline, and Sungjae Im, Keegan Bradley, Gary Woodland and Padraig Harrington were among those who failed to go beyond 36 holes.