Jon Rahm got his 2025 US Open off to a very solid start with a round of one-under par 69 at Oakmont on Thursday.
Rahm is slowly making his way back into form in the majors, with three consecutive top-15 finishes to his name.
The Spaniard is already a US Open champion, and many fancied him heading into the tournament at Oakmont.
Rahm spoke about how difficult Oakmont is before the US Open began this week.
And that proved true on day one, with J.J. Spaun leading on four-under par.
Rahm has already predicted that an over par score could win the US Open at Oakmont this week, if it doesn’t rain.
So he will obviously feel delighted with his opening round of 69.
Jon Rahm opens up on ‘one of the craziest things you can see’ at the US Open
Rahm navigated his way around Oakmont superbly well on Thursday.
He drove the ball supremely well and his iron play was on point for the most part.
The man from Spain gained 3.36 and 2.21 shots on the field off the tee and on his approaches to the greens, where he was ranked 1st and 19th respectively.
If he continues in that vein, he will most likely get the job done come 7pm Sunday evening.
Rahm was asked how important it was for him to be patient out on the golf course during day one of the US Open.
He said, “No. It’s nice when you get those scoreboards and it tells you how difficult holes are playing, right? So you know that, if you’re making par, you’re gaining pretty much half a stroke on every hole. It’s one of the craziest things that you can see. So pars are always good. And knowing that if you make a bogey, you’re not losing too much.
“Yeah, I played good enough to not really get caught up in that moment. That’s why I think it was nice to get a chance in a couple holes to go after good tee shots and take advantage.“
Those are some really wise words from Rahm, and his comments prove that he has matured a lot as a golfer and as a man.
Jon Rahm says people don’t understand the difficulty of Oakmont
The Spaniard was clearly delighted with his opening round of one-under par.
Rahm was asked to explain to average golfers just how difficult Oakmont is.
He responded, “Probably every shot. I mean, there’s too many. Too many instances where you may not know — the best example I can give you is 16. I hit one of the better 5-irons I can hit and had maybe 7 1/2 feet to the hole. Mentally, like I want to make that putt, but I’m thinking I’m going to hit three feet right and it’s downhill. I’ll take a tap-in.
“There’s things like that where you don’t realize, or if you leave it just short of the green on 1 on that little upslope, how hard that putt is. There’s so many things and so many little instances on the golf course that if you’re not there physically, even if you’re in the grandstands, you don’t understand how difficult it truly is.“
There truly is no hiding place at Oakmont. You either turn up with your best stuff or go home, there really is no in between.
Rahm is really well-placed after day one of the US Open, and it will be interesting to see what Oakmont has in store for him on Friday.
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