LA JOLLA, Calif. — Jon Rahm sat in an isolation trailer, having been told 20 minutes earlier as he walked off the course at the Memorial two weeks ago that he’d have to withdraw because of a positive COVID-19 test, when his phone rang.
Rahm had finished the day with a 6-stroke lead. He was 18 holes from victory, until he wasn’t. It was a gut punch, not to mention a million-dollar loss.
Fellow golfer Padraig Harrington felt the need to call and told Rahm, in not so many words, that he could come out of this looking like a king or come out of it looking like a jerk.