PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It hasn’t been a good two weeks for the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer.
Jon Rahm, the 28-year-old Spaniard who’s won three times already this season, withdrew from the Players Championship with what was described as a “bad stomach bug.”
Rahm, who shot a 1-under-par 71 I Thursday’s opening round, was scheduled to tee off at 12:56 p.m. Friday for his second round.
He was paired with Scottie Scheffler, ranked No. 2, and Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 3.
Last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rahm went south after his opening round 65 at Bay Hill, following that with a pair of 76s in rounds two and three before closing with an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 39th.
It was an uncharacteristic result for Rahm in that it ended a streak of 10 consecutive top-10 finishes in worldwide starts.
It was his worst finish since tying for 55th at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.
Jon Rahm during The Players Championship on March 9, 2023. PGA TOURRahm had won five times in his previous nine worldwide starts, including three times on the PGA Tour (Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American Express and the Genesis) before Bay Hill.
His absence for the rest of this week opens the door for Scheffler to regain the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking if he plays well this weekend.
He would regain the No. 1 ranking if he finishes in the top five, according to the OWGR.
He entered Friday’s second round tied for fifth after shooting a 4-under 68 in the first round.
Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy during The Players Championship on March 9, 2023. PGA TOURMcIlroy or Scheffler would move to No. 1 with a victory Sunday, but McIlroy entered the day 4-over par, facing a struggle to merely make the cut.
McIlroy would need to finish in the top-8 to reach No. 1.
The withdrawal ends Rahm’s PGA Tour-leading made-cut streak at 25.
The second-longest active streak belongs to Xander Schauffele, who entered The Players with 18 consecutive made cuts and finished his second round at 1-over, which is expected to be good enough to make the cut.
Jon Rahm during The Players Championship on March 9, 2023. PGA TOURThe last time Rahm withdrew from a tournament was at the 2021 Memorial, and that was involuntary.
He’d tested positive for COVID-19 while leading by six shots after the third round.
