Johnson returns to Tour
Six weeks away from competition didn’t keep Dustin Johnson from extending one streak Thursday, with hopes of adding to another.
Johnson showed more game than rust at the Wells Fargo Championship, where he missed only two greens — and plenty of putts — for a 2-under 70 that left him four shots behind leader Francesco Molinari at blustery Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C.
It was Johnson’s 13th consecutive round at par or better.
Johnson wasn’t as flawless as he looked while winning three consecutive tournaments, though he had few complaints under the circumstances.
It was his first time playing since he slipped in his socks down the stairs at his rental house in Augusta, hurting his back and knocking him out of the Masters.
“Since I hadn’t played in so long, I’m happy with the way I played,” Johnson said. “I didn’t score that great, didn’t really hole that many putts, but other than that, I played really well. I think I hit 16 greens and I hit the ball great.”
No one was sure what to expect at Eagle Point, where the Wells Fargo Championship moved this year because its traditional venue, Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, is the PGA Championship host in August.
On greens that were slightly softer and as pure as can be, Molinari ran off five birdies in a seven- hole stretch on the front nine and closed out his round with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par5 18th.
That gave him a one-shot lead over Alex Noren of Sweden, J.B. Holmes, Grayson Murray and Brian Campbell.
Johnson started well enough to act as if nothing has happened since he last played March 26 at the Dell Technologies Match Play, his third victory in a row.
Other tournament
Lorena Ochoa Match Play: Lydia Ko beat home favorite Ana Menendez, and the Jutanugarn sisters set up a second-round showdown in the Lorena Ochoa Match Play in Mexico City. The top-ranked Ko edged Menendez 3 and 2 on Thursday at Club de Golf Mexico in the LPGA event that switched from stroke to match play and from November to April. Third-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn will face older sister Moriya in the second round. Ariya beat Amy Anderson 5 and 4, and Moriya topped Alena Sharp 2 and 1. Ko will face Jennifer Song, a 3-and-2 winner over Mi Hyang Li.