3 Golfers Who Can Win The Memorial After Jon Rahm Withdraw
It was a wild scene at the end of the third round of the Memorial Tournament on Saturday.
After shooting an impressive 64, Jon Rahm walked off the 18th green with a six-stroke lead on the field. Sunday would have been nothing but a victory lap for the Spaniard, who was seeking his second-straight victory at the event.
That was until a PGA Tour official pulled him aside to let him know that he tested positive for COVID-19, and will be forced to withdraw from the tournament.
Surreal TV moment as six-stroke leader Jon Rahm learns he tested positive for COVID and Jim Nantz tries to make sense of it without knowing what Rahm's been told pic.twitter.com/WvD6LmAlxs
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 5, 2021
PGA TOUR Statement on Jon Rahm pic.twitter.com/HvMmWLCHeq
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 5, 2021
With Rahm now out of the picture, Sunday becomes a highly-contested round with a handful of golfers scrambling with a fresh opportunity to win the event.
Here are three golfers who can win the 2021 Memorial Tournament:
Collin Morikawa
Today’s winner will likely come from one of the two golfers who will enter the day with a three-stroke lead. Both of those golfers have also previously won at Muirfield Village.
Collin Morikawa is one of those guys. The 24-year old is sitting at 12-under par heading into the final round, and he feels comfortable at Muirfield Village having won here last year. It wasn't the Memorial Tournament that he won, but instead it was the Workday Charity Open, which which served as an emergency replacement for the John Deere Classic. Muirfield Village hosted the event the week before the Memorial Tournament.
To the surprise of no one, Morikawa’s approach game has been key for his success this week. He’s second in the field in strokes gained: approach, gaining 2.58 strokes on the field with an iron in his hand. Only Carlos Ortiz (+2.71) enters today’s round ranked higher in that stat.
If Morikawa can dial in his putting, he’ll get his second win at Muirfield Village in his young career.
Patrick Cantlay
The other former winner at Muirfield Village, who is entering today with a three-stroke lead, is Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay won the 2019 edition of the event, and his solid play in every aspect of the game has put him in prime position to win the tournament for the second time in three years.
The American enters the final round having gained a full stroke on the field with his play around the greens, which is key at this track. If he can continue to scramble efficiently, he has a strong chance to notch his fourth PGA Tour victory.
Cantlay is 0-1 in his career when having the lead or co-lead through 54-holes. He’s held the 54-hole lead just once, at the 2020 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, but a final round 73 dropped him out of contention.
Patrick Cantlay is 0-for-1 converting 54-hole leads/co-leads in his PGA Tour career (2020 Shriners).
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 5, 2021
Collin Morikawa is 1-for-2.
They are tied for the lead at -12 now at the Memorial.
Branden Grace
If you want to find someone not named Morikawa or Cantlay who can make a final round surge today, that man just might be Branden Grace. He enters the final round at nine-under par, three strokes off the co-leaders.
Grace has 14 professional in his career, with two of them coming on the PGA Tour. His latest PGA Tour victory came at the Puerto Rico Open in February of this year. The South African has also been in solid form recently, as he was in contention on Sunday at the PGA Championship before finishing the round six-over par to finish T38.
The path to victory for Grace today will be with his flat stick. Among the golfers competing today, he’s fourth in strokes gained: putting for the event, gaining 1.66 strokes on the greens.
If Morikawa and Cantlay struggle, watch for Grace to make a Sunday charge.