Jon Rahm enjoyed an emotional moment with his father on the first tee at St Andrews as he played his first round on the Old Course ahead of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Spaniard has taken the golf world by storm in just three years since turning professional, winning three Rolex Series events, defeating Tiger Woods in the singles as part of a victorious Ryder Cup team and getting as high as second in the Official World Golf Ranking.
But this week, with family present and ahead of spending the week playing alongside dad Edorta - who caught the golfing bug himself following the 1997 Ryder Cup - the 24-year-old enjoyed an important first at the home of golf.
"It's great to be here," he said. "I've been looking forward to this day for a long time and it was really nice to share that moment with my parents and my fiancée. I'm really looking forward to start the tournament.
"There's not many places in the world where you go to the first tee, 150 yard wide fairway, and for some reason you feel, yes, emotionally just excitement. You have some type of emotion.
"It's, to me, one of the best tee shots I've ever had, even today just because of where I'm at, without particularly hitting it good. It's special.
"I've seen plenty of images of what this place looks like in The Open and it seems like a different tournament from what it usually is just because of how historically important this tournament and this course together are. It definitely is something special."
The week will be made all the more special by the presence of Edorta and Rahm is delighted to be able to give something back to the man who had such a huge influence on his career.
"It's great to be able to do something for him," he said. "It was sort of a Christmas present for him and he's been looking forward to it for a long time. I heard he was non-stop practising last week. He plays a lot of golf but this is going to be a little bit of a different experience."
The nature of St Andrews makes it a unique challenge for the modern golfer but after his victory at Lahinch Golf Club at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this summer, Rahm feels prepared.
"I don't mind blind shots," he said. "It is a little bit different to get used to.
"You have these massive greens that you can be hitting putts from 40 yards, 30 yards, in grains that - usually, links golf courses, because of the wind - it's a little slow.
"There's a lot of hills in the fairway, it was very different. You kind of hope you have the right wind conditions when you are playing out here to be able to shoot low. It's definitely a challenge. I thought it was great. I had a great day. I enjoyed it a lot."
