COVID forces Rahm and DeChambeau out of Games

The virus has cast a shadow over the event, with a total of 132 Games-related cases in Japan so far.

July 25, 2021 11:08 pm | Updated 11:08 pm IST - Tokyo

Missing stars: The absence of Bryson DeChambeau, left, and Jon Rahm will be a big blow to the golf event.

Missing stars: The absence of Bryson DeChambeau, left, and Jon Rahm will be a big blow to the golf event.

The Olympic golf tournament lost two of its top stars to coronavirus on Sunday, as World No. 1 Jon Rahm and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau were forced to withdraw.

The PGA announced that DeChambeau was being replaced by Patrick Reed and the Spanish Olympic Committee said Rahm had pulled out after testing positive for the second time in two months.

The virus has cast a shadow over the event, with a total of 132 Games-related cases in Japan so far.

Thirteen of those are athletes.

Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, will join Justin Thomas, recently crowned British Open champion Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele in the men's competition.

Rahm, who stormed to victory at the US Open in June, returned a positive sample after undergoing mandatory testing following his recent participation in this month's British Open.

Rahm is not being replaced in Tokyo. The only other Spanish player listed for the men's golf competition is Adri Arnaus.

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