‘This isn’t the end of my story:’ Kamaiu Johnson withdraws from Farmers Insurance Open after positive COVID-19 test

APGA Tour Championship winner Kamaiu Johnson withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after a positive COVID-19 test.

One of the best stories of 2021 will have to wait a few more weeks to be told.

Kamaiu Johnson, who won the 2020 APGA Tour Championship, was set to make his PGA Tour debut after earning a sponsor exemption for this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines but was forced to withdraw on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19.

According to the Tour’s release, “Johnson will have the PGA Tour’s full support throughout his self-isolation period under CDC guidelines” and he will be replaced by Willie Mack III, a fellow APGA player.

“To say that I’m disappointed would be a massive understatement. I’ve dreamed of playing on the PGA Tour for a long, long time, but health and safety come first,” Johnson said in the release.

Farmers: Tee timesFantasy golf rankings | Odds

“It’s times like these where you have to keep focusing on the bigger picture at hand, and from my experience, a fork in the road often has an interesting way of leading to new opportunities. Getting a brief glimpse of the Farmers Insurance Open and what it would be like to play on the PGA Tour only further ignites the fire inside me to work that much harder to chase the dream of playing on Tour full-time,” he continued. “I am so thankful to Farmers Insurance and the entire team at the Century Club of San Diego for not only providing me with this opportunity, but also for all they’re doing to promote diversity in golf and beyond. I will be Willie Mack’s biggest fan this week. He’s a good friend and an incredibly talented player.”