BETHESDA | Jon Rahm made history this May when he became the first two-time winner of the Ben Hogan Award, handed out each year to the best player in college golf.
Just one month later, the 21-year-old Arizona State product is set for his professional debut at Quicken Loans National, which kicks off Thursday in Bethesda.
“This week, I couldn’t be more excited,” Rahm said Tuesday. “It’s a huge honor to be at Congressional Country Club…My expectations were really high when I came here and the golf course just exceeded all of them.”
Playing as the top ranked amateur in the world at last week’s U.S. Open, Rahm finished at No. 23 tied with seven other golfers.
Despite a rough start at Oakmont, going +6 in his first round of play, Rahm rallied on day two to shoot one under par. As the only amatuer to make the final cut, Rahm would shoot one over across his final three rounds to help secure a spot in the top 25.
“It wasn’t only my last amateur event but it was an iconic course like Oakmont…and playing the way I played the second round after the 6 over the first round was certainly a special week,” Rahm said.
The Barrika, Spain native, however, is no stranger to the PGA Tour.
In his short career Rahm has already played in five PGA events, and boasts two top 10 finishes.
In February 2015, Rahm broke on to the scene with an impressive -12 and T-5 finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. At the OHL Classic at Makayoba last November, he went -11 and had a T-10.
But it’s been a long time coming for the young star, whose outstanding tenure with the Sun Devils was a storied one.
Rahm owns 11 collegiate tournament titles, including recent wins at the 2016 Pacific-12 Championship and NCAA Albuquerque Regional, but thinks his four years as a student-athlete provided something much greater in helping him get where he is today.
“I came in as a 17-year-old and I was pretty immature when I got there,” Rahm said. “I learned English and I developed to be a much better person…Developing as a person was more important than developing as a player for myself and I think that’s gotten me ready for PGA Tour life.”
Competing against a 120-player field highlighted by world No. 6 Rickie Fowler, defending champion Troy Merritt and world No. 13 Patrick Reed, Rahm already has a gameplan prepared for this week’s tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods.
“It’s a long hitter’s golf course. Obviously very different than Oakmont,” he said. “I got to every tee thinking the bunkers were trouble and I saw pretty quick the bunkers are not as bad here…I’ve been really confident lately with my driver so I think I’m going to hit it as long as I can off the tee and try to be precise with the short irons.”
Rahm also discussed his admiration for fellow Spanish greats such as Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia, who joined the pro circuit as a 19-year-old in 1999, and Jose Maria Olazabal.
While Rahm described the guidance he’s received from his compatriots as invaluable, even crediting a World Amateur victory to Olazabal’s advice on his game inside 120 yards, his contemporaries’ tips have been more straightforward.
“I haven’t really been talking [to Tour players],” Rahm said. “Everyone I’ve asked too, they just say the same answer: Just go out there and win.”
Oklahoma State standout Jordan Niebrugge, 22, is the only other player making his pro debut alongside Rahm. Niebrugge possesses an impressive resume with a sixth-place finish at last year’s British Open and a 2013 2013 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship title.
Other events Rahm is already slated to participate in this summer include the Barracuda Championship, Barbasol Championship and John Deere Classic.
• Mark Eisenhauer can be reached at meisenhauer@washingtontimes.com.
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