DUSTIN GOES LONG
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — The mystery of Chambers Bay will be solved by Sunday, but after one round, at least one clue has emerged.
It still pays to hit it long.
A week after pulling out of the FedEx St. Jude Classic with an illness, Dustin Johnson cut the massive course down to size with a 5-under-par 65 to tie Henrik Stenson for the lead, one shot over Patrick Reed.
Johnson is having a comeback season after taking a leave absence to deal with personal issues, reportedly a drug problem that has been denied by both Johnson and the PGA Tour. He also had a baby with his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky. He won the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral in March.
As it turned out, the WD at Memphis allowed Johnson to better prepare for this week by working with his swing coach Butch Harmon. He came here early with a lot of kinks worked out.
“It was definitely a blessing,” he said. Johnson made the turn in 32 and was 6-under through 12. He gave a shot back with his only bogey on 18.
“Leading up to this week I was actually a little bit frustrated,” he admitted. “I just wasn’t striking it like I wanted to. But the last few days, I have done a lot of good work with Butch. I’ve really got a good feel for the golf course . . . and it carried right over into today.”
Stenson, too, had an illness to deal with, although his was earlier in the year, a stomach virus that prevented him from playing Chambers Bay when he visited the course before the Cadillac Match Play Championship in San Francisco.
“I lost a bit of momentum before Augusta when I got sick,” Stenson said. “One of the big things for me focusing on today (was) staying committed. And I did that really well.”
Stenson came home in 31 and tied for the lead with a 35-foot birdie putt on 18.
While Stenson and Johnson went low, there were several scores under par as the course was set up on the easy side. The most difficult parts were the fescue greens, which were a bit bumpy and inconsistent. The putting surfaces, for instance, vexed World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who finished 2-over after what he said was a very good ballstriking round.
“I thought it played as we expected,” said Phil Mickelson after a 1-under round of 69. “I thought there was nothing hokey or crazy with any pin positions or how it played. I think the biggest challenge is that the green speeds are different from green to green. That’s the best way to wreak havoc with us.”
Both Stenson and Johnson were able to navigate around that difficulty.