Three 9 under par at Pebble
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Twenty months later, Dustin Johnson finally hit the drive he wanted at Pebble Beach. Ten years later, Tiger Woods must have wondered what kept him away from the Pebble Beach National Pro-am.
On a spectacular day of scenery and scoring, Johnson blasted a tee shot on the third hole at Pebble Beach and then pitched in for eagle from 41 yards in front of the green. He added another eagle on his way to a 9-under-par 63 and a three-way tie atop the leaderboard Thursday.
Woods was five shots in relation to par out of the lead, a solid start to his PGA Tour season. He had six birdies in a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill, the fourth-best score on that course. Spyglass was hardest of the three courses, though not by much. The weather was so pure that all three courses played about one shot under par.
Charlie Wi was at Monterey Peninsula and had a shot at 59 without ever knowing it. He was 8 under after a tap-in birdie on the 13th hole and needed three birdies in the last five holes. Trouble is, he had no idea the Shore Course was a 70. He made one more birdie and had a 9-under 61.
Joining them was former U. S. Amateur Danny Lee, who holed a bunker shot for eagle at No. 2 and holed out from the 11th fairway with a wedge for another eagle to match Johnson at 9-under 63.
Johnson is turning into his generation’s “Prince of Pebble.” He won the AT&T Pebble Beach National ProAm in 2009 and 2010 and then had a three-shot lead at Pebble in the 2010 U.S. Open until he shot 82 in the final round. On the third hole of that round, he hit driver left into the bushes for a lost ball and made double bogey.
Thursday, he smashed a driver nearly 340 yards over the trees to just short of the green, setting up eagle. Even now, he still thinks about that tee shot in the U.S. Open.
Johnson overpowered the par 5s at Pebble Beach, the secret to playing that course well. He had a 6-iron for his and his 7-year-old nephew, Logan Carmona.
“I just want anything they’ll sign,” Rolleston, who travels to Turner Field at least once a year, said with a smile. “I’m a huge supporter.”
Freeman said the whole squad felt they let that support down with last September’s collapse down the stretch.
“That hurt’s never really gone away,” he said. “I think we’ve all got a chip on our shoulder this year. We don’t want that to happen again.”
But even if it does, expect the Braves faithful to turn out for the Caravan in similar numbers next year.
For as the sleep-deprived Boulware noted, “We all love the Braves.”
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@ timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6273. second shot at the par-5 second for an easy birdie, holed a 65-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole, got up and down from the bunker just short of the 14th for birdie, then cringed when his 40- foot eagle attempt on the 18th just turned away.
Lewis, Kemp ahead
At Melbourne, Australia, American Stacy Lewis and Australia’s Sarah Kemp shared the Women’s Australian Open lead at 4-under 69, leaving top-ranked Yani Tseng a stroke back in her bid to win the event for the third straight year.
Lewis, the Kraft Nabisco winner last year, had six birdies and two bogeys in the LPGA Tour opener at historic Royal Melbourne, the 2011 Presidents Cup venue that is hosting a women’s professional event for the first time. Kemp had a bogey-free round.
Tseng won the tournament, sanctioned this year by the LPGA Tour for the first time, the last two seasons at Commonwealth Golf Club. The Taiwanese star went on to win 12 worldwide titles last year, including the LPGA Championship and Women’s British Open.
Brittany Lincicome and Julieta Granada matched Tseng with at 70 in the event also sanctioned by Australian Ladies Professional Golf and the Ladies European Tour.
Cabrero-bello leads
At Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-bello birdied nine of the first 11 holes and finished with 9- under 63 to take a two-stroke lead in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Germany’s Marcel Siem and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson were tied for second at 65.
U.S. Open champion Rory Mcilroy was three shots back in group that included Martin Kaymer and Thomas Bjorn. Mcilroy birdied seven of his last 10 holes.
Third-ranked Lee Westwood had a 69, and defending champion Alvaro Quiros shot a 70.
A colorful grouping included Fred Couples at 70 and John Daly and Colin Montgomerie at 71.