FORT WORTH, Texas — Dustin Johnson had played Colonial only once before, six years ago when he didn’t even make it to the final round. ADVERTISING FORT WORTH, Texas — Dustin Johnson had played Colonial only once before, six years
FORT WORTH, Texas — Dustin Johnson had played Colonial only once before, six years ago when he didn’t even make it to the final round.
In his return to Hogan’s Alley, Johnson took a one-stroke lead after the first round.
Johnson shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 on Thursday, driving a lot of 3-irons off the tees into the fairways and hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation.
His only birdie on the back nine was a 2-footer at the 177-yard 16th hole. That was enough to lead after his front-side 31 that included a 45-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-4 fifth hole.
Hunter Mahan, playing in the group ahead of Johnson, led before a double-bogey 6 at the 433-yard 18th hole for a 66. He was tied for second with Harris English, Tim Wilkinson and Robert Streb.
Jimmy Walker, a three-time winner this season, and 20-year-old Dallas native Jordan Spieth were in the group of 10 players at 67.
Mahan started eagle-birdie and was already 6 under after a 3-foot birdie on the 178-yard eighth hole. He had two bogeys and two more birdies before his drive at the 18th hole into the right rough, with trees blocking a clear shot to the green. After punching the ball back into the fairway, his approach came settled on the edge of the fringe and he eventually two-putted from 7 feet.
Adam Scott, playing as the No. 1 player in the world for the first time, shot 71 after playing his first nine holes at 4-over 39.
CHAMPIONS SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Joe Durant birdied his final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Senior PGA Championship.
Making his third Champions Tour start after turning 50 in April 7, the four-time PGA Tour winner had seven birdies and a bogey at Harbor Shores.
Dan Forsman, fighting an arthritic left hip, opened with a 66, and Brad Faxon had a 67. Mark Brooks and P.H. Horgan III shot 68, and two-time Senior PGA winner Jay Haas and Colin Montgomerie were in the group at 69.
Kenny Perry, the Regions Tradition winner last week in Alabama, topped the group at 70 along with Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, John Cook and Tom Watson.
Durant, coming off a ninth-place tie Sunday at Shoal Creek in the first major of the year, missed only one fairway and birdied all the par 5s. He also birdied the par-4 seventh hole that plays up a sand dune and usually into the wind off Lake Michigan.
EUROPEAN BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
VIRGINIA WATER, England — Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn shot a course record 10-under 62 at Wentworth to take the first-round lead in the BMW PGA Championship.
Bjorn had an eagle and eight birdies on the West Course.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry was second in the round delayed twice because of rain. The round was suspended because of darkness with 33 players still on the course.
Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello was third at 65.
Rory McIlroy opened with a 68. He holed his second shot for eagle at the par-4 seventh hole, and landed hit his second within 6 inches for eagle at the par-5 12th.
Henrik Stenson, in position to take the top spot in the world from Adam Scott, also had a 68.
AIRBUS LPGA CLASSIC
MOBILE, Ala. — Catriona Matthew took the first-round lead in the Airbus LPGA Classic, holing a bunker shot for an eagle and finishing with an 8-under 64.
The 44-year-old Scot rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 12th — her third hole in the morning round — with the eagle on the par-5 13th and birdied seven of her final 11 holes.
Charley Hull had a bogey-free 65 in the afternoon. The 18-year-old English player birdied the final two holes on the Crossings Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex.
Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, No. 4 Suzann Pettersen and South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji shot 66. Lewis, the 2012 winner, finished her first nine with birdies on Nos. 15-18. The Texan won the North Texas LPGA Shootout three weeks ago for her ninth tour title.
