Johnson aims to win in Memphis
Dustin Johnson wants to sharpen his game for the U.S. Open. Moving back to No. 1 in the world would just be a nice bonus because the only way he can do that before Shinnecock Hills is by winning the St. Jude Classic.
“I just want to win,” Johnson said.
Johnson shot 7-under 63 for his lowest round this year and grabbed a 1-stroke lead yesterday after 36 holes at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis. He had four of his seven birdies and an eagle on his back nine for a 29 and finished with a 10-under 130 total.
Ryan Blaum and Andrew Putnam each shot 64 and were tied for second. C.T. Pan (65) and Wesley Bryan (66) followed at 8-under.
Brandt Snedeker shot his best round this year with a 62 that was 1 stroke off the course record. He was at 7-under. Seamus
Power, who came in with a 1-stroke lead, shot a 69 to reach 6-under. Defending U.S. Open champ Brooks Koepka (69) was at 5-under, and Phil Mickelson (70) was at 4-under.
Two-time defending champ Daniel Berger (71141) missed the cut.
Johnson spent 64 weeks atop the world ranking until Justin Thomas made the cut at the Players Championship in May and grabbed the top spot. Johnson said the course here and not having played only four times in April and May prompted his decision to play here before going to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open.
“Just wanted to play, stay sharp,” Johnson said. “I like this golf course, and I feel like I play it well and wanted to be on top of my game going into next week, too.”
Johnson also had a 63 in the second round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC last October to kick off this season. He won the Tournament of Champions in January and followed with a tie for second at Pebble Beach in February. He has three top 10s and tied for eighth last week at Memorial.
A winner here in 2012, Johnson is back looking for 18th career title while tuning up for the U.S. Open he won in 2016. He hit everything well from a 3-wood that went 316 yards off the tee to his irons to putter.
Langer grabs lead
Bernhard Langer returned from a three-week break to shoot an 8-under 64 and take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.
Langer closed the bogeyfree round with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th at Wakonda Club. The 60-year-old German star took the brief break in part to attend his son’s high school graduation.
Glen Day and Woody Austin were a stroke back, and defending champion Brandt Jobe was at 66 with Jerry Kelly, Tom Lehman and Doug Garwood.
Three in tie at LPGA
Two-time champion Anna Nordqvist shot a 5-under 66 for a share of the first-round lead with Laura Diaz and Celine Herbin in the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J. Nordqvist won the 54-hole event in 2015 and 2016 and finished second last year.
Lydia Ko, In-Gee Chun and Pernilla Lindberg were at 67 along with Sandra Gal, Su Oh, Beatriz Recari, Amy Yang and Westford’s Alison Walshe. Defending champion I.K. Kim had a 68.
Korhonen in on time
Mikko Korhonen shot 67 for a 9-under par 135 and a 1-shot lead on Steve Webster and Justin Walters after the second round of the Shot Clock Masters in Atzenbrugg, Austria.
The tournament is the first where the 120 players involved are timed on their shots. If they are too slow they are hit with a 1-shot penalty. There have been no penalties through the opening two rounds.