Johnson tames gusting winds
WORLD No 1 Dustin Johnson battled through tricky afternoon winds to post a three-under-par 67 and challenge for the lead after the opening round of the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas, yesterday.
“It was really difficult today, the way it was blowing hard and it was gusty,” Johnson told Golf Channel after moving within three shots of co-leaders James Hahn and Ricky Barnes in a large group tied at three-under.
“It was very difficult to judge the wind. My short game was pretty good today.
“I made some nice saves to keep the round going,” added long-hitting Johnson, who needed just 24 putts.
Reigning US Open champion Johnson is gunning for his fourth win in six outings.
Hahn rolled in a 20-footer to birdie the 18th for his share of the lead, while fellow early starter Barnes rode to the top of the leaderboard on the strength of five birdies on the front side.
Tied for second on four-underpar 66 were Americans Matt Kuchar, Jason Kokrak and Cameron Tringale, along with Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas.
Australian world No 4 Jason Day, who had the misfortune of rolling off the green at the 16th after hitting the stick with his approach shot, made a long birdie at 18, giving him a two-under 68 to tie for 14th with 11 others including two-times Major winner and local favourite Jordan Spieth.
Defending champion and Masters winner Sergio Garcia bogeyed the last to finish the round at TPC Las Colinas at the Four Seasons Resort with a three-over 73. The Spaniard was tied for 93rd and will be pressed to make the cut.
Louis Oosthuizen and Ernie Els both carded first rounds of 69, while Charl Schwartzel was a shot back on 70.
Meanwhile, South Africans Zander Lombard and Jbe Kruger are well-placed after the first round of the Rocco Forte Open in Agrigento, Sicily.
Lombard carded 9-under par 62 to sit one shot behind co-leaders, Sebastian Soederberg of Sweden and Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey.
Kruger shot an 8-under 63 to sit a further shot back alongside Germany’s Sebastian Heisele and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.
Soderberg, playing just his 15th European Tour event, made the early running with birdies on the second, fourth, sixth and eighth before an eagle on the ninth helped him turn in 30.
A birdie-birdie start on the back nine then brought a rare 59 into focus before a run of five pars put paid to those hopes.
The 26-year-old rolled a birdie down the hill at the 17th before an eight-footer on the last.
“That 59 was all I thought about walking down the par five 12th,” the Swede said on www.europeantour.com
“It kind of helped me to keep going, I didn’t feel like it stopped me. I definitely had a couple of putts the last seven holes that could have run in. Overall, great round.”
Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn of Denmark shot a respectable 65, while Italian favourite Matteo Manassero posted a first round 67.
Of the other South Africans in the field, Haydn Porteous posted 68, former US Masters champion Trevor Immelman 69, Jaco Ahlers 70 and Trevor Fisher 73. – Reuters & SuperSport