Rahm grabs lead in pro debut
Jon Rahm couldn’t remember a single shot he took in a professional debut to remember.
Ernie Els recalled shots he hit on the same course 19 years ago.
Rahm shot a 7-under 64 yesterday at Congressional to take the first-round lead in the Quicken Loans National, Tiger Woods’ annual tournament in Bethesda, Md., that started two hours late because of rain.
The soft course, with a fox lounging on the edge of a bunker and darting around with little care for the golf going on around him, allowed players to attack fairways and play aggressively.
Rahm took advantage of that with seven birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I was anticipating this moment,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “I’m working on it a long time that I kind of blacked out a little bit. I don’t remember a single swing I made all day or any putting stroke or anything. I just remember the ball flying or rolling.”
The former Arizona State star was the only amateur to make the cut last week in the U.S. Open, tying for 23rd at Oakmont.
The long-hitter had a 1-stroke lead over Jhonattan Vegas and a 2-stroke advantage over a pack that included Els, who won the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional. Rickie Fowler and Vijay Singh were among those at 68.
Els, who turned pro five years before Rahm was born, chose to play the Quicken Loans immediately after missing the cut at the U.S. Open because of how much he likes the course. The 46-year-old Els is almost four years from his last victory, when he won the 2012 British Open.
But he started feeling more like himself during the pro-am Wednesday and showed it by shooting a 66.
“I felt comfortable with my swing this week,” Els said. “I’ve had a very tough year. I haven’t played very well, so I need to start playing well.”
Rahm, on the other hand, has been gradually improving. He opened eyes by tying for fifth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February 2015 and turned pro as the top-ranked amateur.
Now his challenge is to keep expectations low while leading a tournament. Rahm’s plan was to go see a movie and get away from golf rather than focus on it.
“It is a challenge,” Rahm said. “I’ve been playing a lot of golf lately and maybe trying to get time off golf is just as important as time practicing, so maybe just resting my mind a little bit would be the best way to do it.”
Bill Haas, Jamie Lovemark, Kyle Reifers, Camilo Villegas, Harold Varner III, Billy Hurley III and Wesley Bryan were at 66 with Els.
The 7,569-yard course, which last hosted the U.S. Open in 2011 when Rory McIlroy won it by 8 strokes, could play even longer once it dries out by the weekend. After rain that started before dawn, players said the fairways weren’t bouncing, so clean shots could get the job done.
“On this course you had better drive it well in the fairway and it’s a bonus if you can drive it long and straight,” Vegas said. “Put it in the fairway and greens being a little softer than normal, you can play a good round today.”
Europe: 1-shot lead
Raphael Jacquelin leads Oliver Fisher by 1 stroke after the opening round of the BMW International Open in Pulheim, Germany.
Jacquelin shot seven birdies to finish at 7-under 65 as some of the favorites struggled on the windy Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof outside Cologne.
Masters Champion Danny Willett had two double bogeys and two bogeys on the back nine to finish at 2-over. Sergio Garcia, fresh from a fifth-place finish at last week’s U.S. Open, carded a 1-under 71.
Felipe Aguilar, Zander Lombard and Thorbjoern Olesen were tied at 5-under.
Last year’s tournament winner Pablo Larrazabal and runner-up Henryk Stenson were in a group of eight players at 4-under.