Johnson, Villegas tie at 7-under 64 in John Deere Classic
SILVIS, Ill. — Defending champion Zach Johnson shot a 7-under 64 and is tied with Camilo Villegas for the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the John Deere Classic.
It was Johnson’s 17th straight round in the 60s at TPC Deere Run; he grew up roughly 100 miles away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Johnson, who was second in 2009 and third in 2011 before winning last year, topped his finalround 65 of 2012 by one stroke Thursday. He avoided bogeys while picking up birdies on five par-4s.
“It just feels so natural now,” Johnson said. ‘It just feels very, very comfortable, much like my golf game — though I don’t want to get overly content with the fact that I’m overly comfortable. So I’ve still got to go to work.”
Villegas was also very comfortable on a course that proved player-friendly in the morning session. He converted a pair of par-3 birdie putts to highlight a strong day on the greens.
“Made some great putts and just kept out of trouble. The golf course is a little receptive, and you could be aggressive,” Villegas said. “I was very pleased with the way I handled myself out there. It was nice, relaxed, chill attitude.”
Matt Bettencourt made the field as a late alternate and shot a 6-under 65. He’s tied for second with Daniel Summerhays and Brendon de Jonge.
Boo Weekley is among a pack of players at 5-under 66.
Three-time tournament champion Steve Stricker is at 4-under 67 heading into Friday’s second round.
Memphian Casey Wittenberg shot a 68 and is 3 under, and Memphis’ Shaun Micheel shot 70.
OTHER TOURNAMENTS
Scottish Open at Inverness: Phil Mickelson eased back into links golf with a 6-under 66, leaving him behind two Englishmen after a low-scoring first round.
John Parry, ranked No. 471, led after a bogey-free 64, and Simon Khan (65) also tamed the Castle Stuart course in perfect morning conditions in the Scottish Highlands to finish alone in second.
Mickelson is tied for third with six others after quickly hitting his stride in the warm-up event for next week’s British Open, finding his range on and around the greens for six birdies and an eagle.
“It’s great for me to get off to a decent start because I have gotten off to poor starts the last couple of years here, and I have been fighting just to make the cut and get into reasonable contention,” said Mickelson, who at No. 8 is the highest-ranked player in the tournament. “I’m not having to battle uphill.”
U.S. Senior Open at Omaha, Neb.: Kenny Perry shot a 3-under 67 on Thursday and is tied for the lead as he seeks a second straight win in a Champions Tour major.
Perry, who won the Senior Players Championship two weeks ago at Fox Chapel, Pa., made five birdies against two bogeys at Omaha Country Club. And he’s got plenty of company atop a crowded leader board.
Michael Allen and Jay Don Blake also shot a 67 on Thursday morning, and Gary Hallberg, Mark O’Meara, Tom Lehman and Fred Funk shot the same score in the afternoon.
Manulife Financial LPGA Classic at Waterloo, Ontario: Angela Stanford and Catriona Matthew shot eight-under 63s to share the first-round lead, two strokes ahead of topranked Inbee Park.
Park is trying to become the first golfer to win four straight LPGA Tour events since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
Park was joined by American Irene Cho, Spain’s Belen Mozo and South Korea’s Hee Young Park and Meena Lee at 65. Defending champion Brittany Lang opened with a 69.