Jon Rahm needed just 1 round as a pro to lead a PGA Tour event

On a day when the 2016 Spring Break crew was the main attraction, Jon Rahm went out and made a name for himself in his first start as a professional. While a majority of the Quicken Loans National crowd was following Rickie Fowler, Smylie Kaufman, and Justin Thomas, the breakout social media stars of the spring, Rahm put together the best round of the day on a big boy test, the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club.

Less than a week ago, Rahm was an amateur, sporting the colors of Arizona State University. After winning low amateur honors at the U.S. Open, Rahm turned pro (forfeiting a guaranteed spot in the British Open next month) and made his debut this week at one of the most historic courses in the country.

If there was concern Rahm wouldn’t be up for the challenge, that worry was erased after a dazzling opening round 64 that featured seven birdies and no bogeys. Rahm looked like he was in total control, cruising to the 18-hole lead. But he didn’t see it that way.

“Well, I wasn’t cruising, I was not cruising,” Rahm said. “It was obviously a good day. I was really comfortable off the tee with the driver, hitting it good, hitting it straight so that allowed me to be a little more aggressive.”

Still, it was the best round of the day in a tournament that featured the likes of Fowler, Patrick Reed, and fellow former amateur star, Bryson DeChambeau. And starting on No. 10 made it even more intimidating. It’s a hole that recently saw Tiger Woods pump three balls into the water during a media session, from just 100 yards away. The pros were obviously playing tees far deeper than that but Rahm was fine once he saw the pin location.

“I was really anxious on the first tee. I knew I had one of the hardest par 3s I’m going to play all week in front of me, and when I saw the pin and it was not tucked to the water, I’m kind of thinking, ‘thank God.’ Still a 6-iron over water, a couple tiers. Hit a good shot on the green, two-putt and I got my round started.”

So, what was the key to Rahm’s success in Round 1? Maybe it was just keeping his expectations in check on the first day where he was eligible to play for some purse money.

“My main focus was trying to keep my expectations down,” Rahm said. “I didn’t want to think that this was going to be easy. Obviously it’s not. It’s a PGA Tour event, one of the iconic courses, Tiger Woods Foundation. It’s obviously hard for me to keep my expectations down after a good tournament last week, but I did it and I managed to stay relaxed and get a good round going.”

It’s stupid to project a career after one round, but everything from his amateur days, in which he achieved No. 1 status in the world Am rankings, would suggest that he has, at the very least, a pro career ahead of him. Who knows, maybe he will find himself on a spring break trip in the near future with this week’s marquee group.