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DUBLIN, Ohio — As golf attempts to get back to normal, you would have been hard-pressed to think things were not as they always were Sunday at Muirfield Village Golf Club for the final round of the Memorial Tournament.

Jack Nicklaus, tournament founder, host and 18-time major champion, took up his usual spot in the CBS-TV broadcast tower. He was there beside the 18th green to greet winner Patrick Cantlay, who outlasted Collin Morikawa in playoff. A robust crowd stood near the 18th green.

And those on hand and watching on TV could appreciated the drama, as Cantlay, Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler staged a daylong battle over Nicklaus’ course. A tournament so close it needed extra holes.

Of course, almost all were aware such a scenario played out only because Jon Rahm was in isolation somewhere after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. It might not have dampened their enthusiasm, but it was nearly impossible to ignore.

Had Rahm been able to play Sunday, he would have needed only a 4-over-par 76 to win by a one shot. He led by six strokes and was 18 under before his world was turned upside down. The playoff participants ended 72 holes at 13 under. It was hard to envision anyone getting close to where Rahm stood after Saturday.

But Rahm had sit by like everyone else on Sunday, the shocking development hovering over the tournament like the rain clouds that added one more bit of intrigue as play was winding down.

“Such a weird situation and so unfortunate,” Cantlay said. “Because, me included, everyone knows it would have been a totally different day had that not happened. But there’s nothing I could do about it. I just tried as hard as I could to reset and get focused.”

Cantlay and Morikawa each shot 71. Cantlay won when Morikawa bogeyed the first playoff hole. Rahm could only watch — that is, even if he could bear to tune in.

Rahm shot 8-under-par 64 on Saturday, after having shot a 65 that included a hole-in-one at the conclusion of the second round earlier in the day. He looked dominant and seemed destined for a sixth PGA Tour victory and to inch closer to No. 1 Dustin Johnson in the Official World Golf Ranking.

It got wiped out due to the positive COVID-19 test.

For the past year, players have gone through numerous protocols and procedures in order to play professional golf. In April, the PGA Tour said it would allow players to forgo COVID-19 testing if they were completely vaccinated. Never had this happened, a tournament leader getting knocked out of the event.

Rahm was part of the PGA Tour’s contact-tracing protocols because he had been around someone who tested positive. That meant he needed to test every day. His tests on Monday through Friday came up negative. His test on Saturday came back positive. He had to be immediately removed from the tournament.

Three other times over the past year a player was removed from a tournament after having tested positive once the competition began: Nick Watney at the RBC Heritage last June, Denny McCarthy at the Travelers Championship and Branden Grace at the Barracuda Championship. Grace’s situation was similar to Rahm in that he was in contention.

But Grace didn’t have the lead, as Rahm did. Also, that event wasn’t nearly as prominent as the Memorial.

“I think we have all been really scared and we have all thought of this what-if scenario,” Morikawa said. “But that’s the thing with what-ifs. We can only think about it and think what we’re going to try and do, do that until it actually happens; and it’s very unfortunate for him to have a 6-shot lead and it’s kind of in his possession right there.

“Obviously, we know the risks. People know the risks of not getting vaccinated. It’s a personal choice. No one should be judged.”

Morikawa made it clear that he was disappointed Rahm was getting a hard time over his vaccination status.

Rahm this past week received a COVID-19 vaccine. But prior to doing so, he had been in contact with someone who tested positive, hence he was required to go through the Tour’s protocols.

That meant no access to the clubhouse, locker room or player dining. Although his status was not announced publicly, Rahm made it apparent to those he was with in the pro-am, playing partners and anyone he came in contact with of his status.

Golf has not missed a scheduled event since returning a year ago this week. There have been positive COVID-19 cases, to be sure, just like there have been in other sports, in all walks of life.

But there have been no major outbreaks, no huge spikes at any tournament. There was a bit of a scare in April when four players tested positive the same week after the tournament in New Orleans, but that turned out to be about the worst of it.

The PGA Tour made it to this point with no huge headlines — until Rahm.

He took the high road in the statement he released via Twitter, saying, “These things happen in life.” And undoubtedly, losing nearly $1.7 million in prize money — the take for winning — had to sting. But there was more: another victory and the momentum as he went into the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, seeking his first major title. Had Rahm won the Memorial, he’d have gone to San Diego a big favorite.

Now that is less clear. Rahm is subject to a 10-day isolation — unless he tests negative for two days at least 24 hours apart. Whatever happens next, for Rahm, Sunday’s final round at the Memorial played out with plenty of suspense despite the invisible asterisk that will go along with it.

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Kentucky Derby to remain on NBC through 2032

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Kentucky Derby to remain on NBC through 2032

STAMFORD, Conn. — The Kentucky Derby will remain on NBC through 2032 after the network and Churchill Downs Inc. extended their contract, announcing it hours before the running of the 150th race Saturday.

The race switched to NBC in 2001 after airing on ABC from 1975 to 2000 and CBS from 1952 to 1974. The multiyear extension will make NBC the longest-running home of the race for 3-year-old horses.

The deal includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Derby and Oaks day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms.

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Padres trade for Marlins batting champ Arraez

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Padres trade for Marlins batting champ Arraez

The San Diego Padres have acquired second baseman Luis Arraez in a trade with the Miami Marlins for reliever Woo-Suk Go and prospects Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella, the teams announced Saturday.

The Padres also received nearly $7.9 million in cash considerations, leaving them responsible only for the major league minimum salary for Arraez.

The transaction represents the first significant move for the Marlins since Peter Bendix took over as the team’s president of baseball operations in November after Kim Ng departed. It marks the beginning of the Marlins’ teardown of an underachieving roster that has produced the third-worst record in the majors at 9-25 with a minus-61 run differential after reaching the postseason in 2023.

On the other side, it’s another aggressive deal for A.J. Preller, the leader of the Padres’ front office since 2014. Arraez, one of the sport’s best contact hitters, will give the Padres a needed left-handed-hitting weapon after Juan Soto was sent to the New York Yankees in December. San Diego is 17-18 with a plus-6 run differential.

“It’s really amazing — that guy is a baller,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said about Arraez after the Padres’ win Friday night. “He’s probably the closest to Tony Gwynn right now, so looking forward to seeing him in our lineup. … The guy’s a pure hitter, and I can’t wait for him to help us.”

Miami is paying San Diego $7,898,602 of the $8,491,398 remaining for the final 149 days of Arraez’s $10.6 million salary. That left his cost to the Padres at $592,796 — exactly a prorated share of the $740,000 minimum.

Arraez, 27, was the Marlins’ best player, an All-Star and batting champion each of the past two seasons. This season, he is batting .299 with a .719 OPS in 33 games, all started at second base. He also has extensive experience at first base.

“When a guy like that is taken out of the lineup or potentially traded, you feel it, because he’s such a good kid and one of the leaders in that clubhouse,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said, “so there’s definitely a shock value.”

Arraez is expected to start games as the Padres’ designated hitter, but the club plans to cycle through the DH spot. Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado could also get at-bats there. Bogaerts has been the club’s starting second baseman.

Go spent seven seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization before signing a two-year deal with a mutual option worth $4.5 million guaranteed during the offseason. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in 10 games for Double-A San Antonio, posting a 4.38 ERA across 12⅓ innings after failing to make the Padres’ bullpen out of spring training.

Head was the Padres’ first-round pick (25th overall) last year out of high school. The 19-year-old center fielder is batting .237 with a .683 OPS and three stolen bases in 21 games in low-Class A.

Martorella is batting .294 with an .820 OPS in 23 games in San Antonio. The Padres selected the 23-year-old first baseman in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. Marsee, a 22-year-old outfielder, has spent the season in San Antonio batting .185 with two home runs. He was a sixth-round pick in 2022 out of Central Michigan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Yanks’ Cole takes next step, throws off mound

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Yanks' Cole takes next step, throws off mound

NEW YORK — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole threw off a mound Saturday morning for the first time since being shut down in mid-March, checking off another box in his road back from an elbow injury.

Cole took the mound in the Yankees’ bullpen at 10:40 a.m., hours before New York took on the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. He said he threw 15 pitches, 13 for strikes and all fastballs. He said the pitches averaged 89 mph.

“It was exciting,” Cole said. “This was a good day for me. I was fired up.”

Cole, 33, started the season on the 60-day injured list after being diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his pitching elbow following one spring training outing. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is eligible to come off the injured list May 27, but the Yankees have declined to share a timetable for Cole’s return.

On a scale from 1 to 10 — 10 being game ready — Cole reported he is “somewhere between 1 and 5.” He said how his body responds over the next 48 hours will decide when he throws off a mound again.

Cole’s injury was a significant blow to a club with championship-or-bust aspirations, but the Yankees’ starting rotation has been one of the best in the majors and a primary reason for the team’s 21-13 start. The rotation’s 3.43 ERA through Friday ranked ninth in the majors. Its 183⅔ innings pitched ranked fourth.

Luis Gil, Cole’s rotation replacement, logged the best start of his young career Wednesday, holding the explosive Baltimore Orioles scoreless on two hits over a career-high 6⅓ innings. Gil, 25, has recorded a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings across six starts despite leading the American League with 20 walks.

Earlier this week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said neither the team’s nor the rotation’s success will impact Cole’s timeline. Asked whether the overall success has made his absence more “palatable,” Cole was unsure.

“I don’t really have anything unpalatable to compare it to,” Cole said. “You know what I’m saying? So I’m just kind of like, just like everybody else, just glad we’re playing well.”

Also on Saturday, the Yankees reinstated infielder Jon Berti from the 10-day injured list and designated former first-round pick Taylor Trammell for assignment.

Berti, 34, has been out of the Yankees’ lineup since April 10 with a left groin strain. The Yankees had selected Trammell off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 18, and he collected 1 hit, 1 walk and 2 runs in five games with New York.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

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