Johnson takes course by storm

World’s No. 1 player tied for lead at Pebble Beach on gorgeous day

PEBB L EBE ACH, CALI F. » Dustin Johnson already was feeling good about his game heading over to the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. Another day of gorgeous weather in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am made him feel even better.

Johnson ran off three straight birdies to start his round, made four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn and wound up with a 7under 64 on Friday to share the 36-hole lead with Beau Hossler at 12-under.

“Probably my lowest by about seven shots at Monterey Peninsula, so I was happy with that,” Johnson said. “It’s probably the first time, too, I think we have ever played over there with nice weather. So it was definitely a good day.”

He only slightly exaggerated, but not by much. In four times playing at Monterey Peninsula since it joined the rotation, he only broke 70 one time and twice shot 73. The evidence of the different day he faced came early. Johnson hit a 9-iron on the 176-yard hole that plays downhill. A year ago, he hit 4-iron. On the 434-yard 13th hole a year ago, he “roasted” a driver and a 3-iron. This year, he hit 3-wood and had 85 yards left.

“But I was right behind the tree,” he said. Hossler, the PGA Tour rookie best known in these parts for contending on the weekend at Olympic Club in 2012 U.S. Open when he was 17, was flawless at Spyglass Hill in a round of 67.

Hossler has not made a bogey this week. For his second round, he hit all but two greens in regulation and having standard chips on those.

Hossler heads over to Monterey Peninsula, while Johnson spends his last two days at Pebble Beach.

They were two shots ahead to par on Julian Suri (67 at Monterey Peninsula) and Troy Merritt (67 at Spyglass Hill). Three shots back were Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm.

Mickelson was tied for the lead at one point when he ran off three straight birdies at Monterey Peninsula, though he made only two more over his final 11 holes for a 65.

Footnotes.

Mark Calcavecchia shot an 8-under 64 to take the first-round lead in the Boca Raton (Fla.) Championship. The 57-year-old Calcavecchia birdied seven of his first 10 holes and added another on the par-4 seventh at The Old Course at Broken Sound. … Lee Westwood was tied for the lead at 8-under 136 with defending champion Brett Rumford after two rounds of the World Super 6 at Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, Australia.