There has been a massive shake-up to THE PLAYERS Championship field.
World No. 1 golfer Jon Rahm has withdrawn from the tournament due to an illness, according to a release from the PGA Tour Communications.
FedExCup leader and World No. 1 Jon Rahm WD from THE PLAYERS Championship due to illness.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 10, 2023
Rahm withdrew from the tournament about an hour and a half before he was set to tee off at 12:56 local time. The Spaniard shot a 1-under par 71 during Thursday’s first round. He was tied for 26th before withdrawing from the golf tournament.
Rahm was the favorite heading into the tournament with +1000 odds at BetMGM. Depending on the sportsbook, he had close to equal odds to win with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
Rahm accounted for 7.8% of the tickets and 8.5% of the handle at BetMGM. Due to already starting the tournament, those bets are likely to be graded as a loss. He also will not be replaced in the field by any alternates.
There is a chance that Rahm will have to relinquish his No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings if Scheffler or McIlroy are able to supply a good enough finish. All three players have a chance to be No. 1 after THE PLAYERS.
Rahm was the hottest golfer after finishing third at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and first at the Genesis Invitational. He cooled off a bit last week after finishing T39 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.
He did not get off to a great start during the first round of THE PLAYERS, but he was certainly not out of the tournament.
