Last Sunday, John Rahm finished as the low amateur at the 116th U.S. Open.
In fact, he was the only amateur who made the cut. He tied for 23rd and by making the cut, beat guys like Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson.
Rahm spent his Thursday at Congressional beating the entire PGA Tour field on hand.
The former Arizona State star, playing in his first even as a pro, shot a seven-under par 64 to hold the first round lead at the Quicken Loans National. He had a perfect day with seven birdies, no bogeys. He played the back nine first, turned three-under, got another at one then holed a 30-footer at five to go five-under. “Probably the best putt I hit all day,” said the native of Spain. “I was very comfortable off the tee with the driver and that allowed me to be more aggressive from the fairways.”
Rahm bested the tournament’s two biggest names by four shots — Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed. Both Fowler and Reed opened with three-under par 68s.
The course was softened by strong storms that move through the D.C. area early Thursday.
Players slated to go off at 7 a.m. didn’t get out until 9:15, another long rain delay.
Rahm finished a shot better than Jhonny Vegas.
Ernie Els, who won the 1997 U.S. Open at Congressional, was one of a half-dozen players at 66.
