In one of the most extraordinary sports moments of a pandemic which is still not over, golfer Jon Rahm had to withdraw from The Memorial after testing positive for COVID-19.

What makes this moment so remarkable is not that Jon Rahm or any other golfer tested positive. That in itself isn't mind-blowing or new. The fact which makes this a huge sports story is that Rahm led the tournament by six shots after the third round, making him a near shoo-in to win a tour event.

In other words, this positive COVID-19 test will cost Jon Rahm over $1 million in prize money and a PGA Tour title on his resume. Rahm destroyed the field at The Memorial and won't collect a single cent from his weekend.

CBS television coverage was predictably scrambling to figure out what was going on when Jon Rahm was taken aside and talked to by tournament officials after completing his third round on Saturday:

Jon Rahm was at 18 under par through three rounds. He led 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay by six shots. They were both at 12 under par through 54 holes at The Memorial. It is a jarring and unprecedented event. CBS will have a dramatic and close final round to show on Sunday, but only because the player who was torching the field had to withdraw for reasons completely removed from his own errors.

Golf has had weird disqualifications before, most commonly for signing an incorrect scorecard after a round. This is entirely different, and it's not Jon Rahm's fault.

The PGA Tour released a statement after Jon Rahm withdrew from The Memorial. This is a portion of the statement:

On the evening of Monday, May 31, the PGA TOUR notified Jon Rahm that he was subject to contact-tracing protocols, as he had come in close contact with a person who was COVID positive. Per the TOUR’s COVID Health & Safety Plan, Rahm was given the option to remain in the competition and enter our tracing protocol, which includes daily testing and restricted access to indoor facilities. Rahm has remained asymptomatic.

Rahm has tested negative every day, but his most recent test – which was performed after the conclusion of his second round (rain delayed) and before the start of his third round – returned positive at approximately 4:20 p.m. ET while Rahm was on the golf course. The PGA TOUR’s medical advisor requested a confirmatory test on the original sample, which came back at 6:05 p.m. ET, and was also positive.

The statement added that Jon Rahm will be in isolation through Tuesday, June 15. That is significant because the 2021 U.S. Open golf tournament, the third major tournament of the year, begins Thursday, June 17, at Torrey Pines in California. There is now a real question as to whether Rahm will be able to participate.