Jon Rahm was once the No. 1 golfer in the world, but after winning the Masters in 2023, he has struggled to stay competitive in the majors that came next.

On Thursday, Rahm had a few bad breaks and nearly snapped his club when he drove a tee shot on the ninth hole to his right and into the woods. Rahm knew exactly what happened and let the club out of his hands as the ball tailed off.

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He nearly snapped the club over his knee before thinking he might need the club for the rest of his round.

He finished the first round of the Masters shooting 3-over par and was tied for 63rd. He carded five bogeys.

Datagolf.com projected that 3-over could be the cut line to make it into the final two days of the tournament, with a near 30% chance it moves down to +4 and around a 20% chance it moves to +2.

Rahm was one of the handful of PGA Tour golfers who joined LIV Golf over the last few years. He is third this season in the LIV Golf standings. He finished tied for second at Riyadh and had not dropped out of the top 10 all season long.

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Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia are Nos. 1 and 2 respectively in the standings this season.

Rahm finished tied for 45th at last year’s Masters. He talked earlier in the week about the pressure he’s felt amid the tug of war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

"There was a few times where there was a lot of questions that I didn’t really have an answer to, and I tried to, and I just really didn’t," he said, via The Athletic. "Kind of like … the state of the game and what’s happening. We don’t know. No one knows. We all want a solution, and it’s hard to give one."

Justin Rose finished the first round in the lead at 7-under with Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg tied for second at 4-under.

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Walter Clayton Jr. lived the dream of every college basketball player Monday night, becoming a national champion with his Florida Gators. 

But when Clayton was coming out of Bartow High School in Florida, he was trying to choose between playing football or basketball in college. He had offers from the Gators, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Nebraska and West Virginia to play football, but he eventually chose basketball and followed Rick Pitino to Iona. 

After two seasons and Pitino taking the St. John’s job, Clayton transferred to Todd Golden’s program in Gainesville for the 2023-24 campaign. Two years later, the Gators are back on top with a 65-63 national title win over the Houston Cougars. 

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The transfer portal, as well as name, image and likeness opportunities, have allowed star college athletes in mid-major schools to move on to big-time programs with the chance of playing right away, building their personal brand on and off the court. 

Clayton is just one of many examples, and he had advice for future athletes who could be in the same situation as he was before that 2023-24 season, making a decision that changed his life.

"The only advice I can really give is keep working and trust your work," Clayton told Fox News Digital while working a celebratory "shift" at Raising Cane’s alongside Gators teammates Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh in Gainesville. 

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"Nothing is going to be given to you. When I came to Florida, they were 16-17. Obviously, it was [Todd] Golden’s first year, and he wanted to make things better. He didn’t promise me anything. I told him I was going to come here, and I was going to work. So, nothing is going to be guaranteed to you. Just keep on working."

Clayton played for his home state’s university and quickly became a focal point of the offense, averaging 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He initially declared for the NBA Draft but decided he had unfinished business in Gainesville, which paid off Monday night. 

Clayton had one of the best seasons in Florida basketball history, helping the Gators to their best overall record in program history at 27-4, also an SEC record. He was named a first-team All-American after averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds, and the NBA Draft is calling yet again. 

Because of his stardom, Clayton’s NIL valuation is $1.2 million, according to On3.

Another example of how beneficial the portal and NIL can be is with Martin, who helped Florida Atlantic University reach the Final Four two years ago. His fifth and final college season was with the Gators this year after four seasons with the Owls, and he produced his best year with a career-high 14.4 points per game as a starting guard alongside Clayton. 

So, while there are detractors of the new system of college sports, there are benefits for athletes like Clayton.

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The 28-year-old is set to stroke Oxford’s dark blue boat on Sunday.

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