Quicken Loans National 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

After players tried to conquer one of the PGA Tour's most difficult courses last week, things shifted to the friendlier confines of Congressional Country Club for the 2016 Quicken Loans National, with Jon Rahm taking a strong liking to the surroundings.  

Rahm, who is making his PGA Tour pro debut this weekend, holds a one-shot lead at seven under thanks to a dazzling 64 on Thursday. Jhonattan Vegas is hot on his heels at six under, followed by an eight-way tie for third place at five under. 

Here's the full leaderboard after 18 holes at the Quicken Loans National tournament in Bethesda, Maryland:

Rahm enters the professional scene with a lot of hype. He's the top-ranked men's amateur player in the world and tied for 23rd last week at the U.S. Open by shooting one over in his final three rounds, including a 69 in the second round. 

Justin Ray of the Golf Channel pinpointed one major change in the sport over the years by noting what Rahm's payout could look like with a win this weekend:

Ray also provided some impressive stats about Rahm from his time in college at Arizona State that point to great success as a professional:

If Rahm wants to prove his mettle right out of the gate, this is the tournament to do it. He has a lot of competition hot on his heels. 

Vegas had an excellent rebound performance Thursday after missing the cut at his last two events. The 31-year-old has three top-10 finishes on his resume so far this season and is seeking his second career PGA Tour win. He called this course one of his favorites in an Instagram post earlier this week. 

The key for Vegas came before he got on the greens, as his driving accuracy was a robust 85.7 percent and his greens in regulation was at 83.3 percent. His putter was a letdown, though, costing him 0.25 shots in the round, yet he was still able to finish with a 65. 

Part of the jumbled mess tied for third place is Ernie Els, who is in search of his first PGA Tour win since the 2012 British Open. He needed this kind of round after missing the cut in each of his last four tournaments and seven overall this year.

With most of the world's best players taking the week off to recover, Rickie Fowler has a chance to take the spotlight. He badly needs it after missing three straight cuts and falling to No. 6 in the world rankings. 

Fowler got off to a solid start at three under with no bogeys, including this terrific approach shot with his driver on the 10th hole, via the PGA Tour on Twitter:

In events where Fowler makes the cut, he's usually a safe bet to be in the mix. He's made the cut 10 times in 15 events this season and has 10 top-10 finishes. Thursday's performance looks like the start of good things for the 27-year-old. 

There were a lot of low scores at Congressional on Thursday, with 82 of the 119 players at even or better heading into Friday. The U.S. Open was notable for player movement largely due to bad rounds caused by the difficult course. 

This tournament will have a different feel, as players make their moves based on putting up low numbers and not having to worry about someone else falling apart. 

Rahm is the story after 18 holes, though there is a huge unknown element associated with him. He has the credentials to be an impact player early in his career, though this would be faster than anyone could have expected. 

With a lot of competition directly behind him, Rahm will have to find another gear in the second round to maintain his advantage at the Quicken Loans National. 

Stats per PGATour.com.