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SPORTS A19
Saturday 20 February 2016
Dustin Johnson tied for early
lead as Spieth sent packing
DOUG FERGUSON Johnson said he didn’t play four children to Aspen, Col- Jordan Speith watches his shot on the second fairway dur-
AP Golf Writer golf from the Hero World orado, last year and is lov- ing the first round of the Northern Trust Open golf tournament,
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Riviera Challenge in the Bahamas ing life on the ski slopes. Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016 in Los Angeles.
might be all Dustin Johnson on Dec. 6 until he arrived He prepares for golf mainly Associated Press
needed to snap out of his in Kapalua nearly a month in the gym, doing exercises
mediocre play. later. Then, he took two that are key to his swing.
A runner-up the last two weeks off without much But as for golf? He went
years, Johnson shot a 5-un- work before Torrey Pines, 35 days without so much
der 66 despite making bird- and another week off be- as touching a club until he
ie on only one of the par 5s fore Pebble Beach. started out his year in the
and was tied for the lead It’s his idea of a winter desert. Leonard wants to
with Troy Merritt among the break to keep his mind play no more than a dozen
early starters Friday in the fresh. But he started grind- times this year, and he’s
Northern Trust Open. ing hard at Pebble, on the making the most of this op-
Merritt, who picked up his course and on the range, portunity.
first PGA Tour victory last and appears ready to go. Leonard rarely got out of
year at the Quicken Loans It helps that it’s at Riviera, position, making two bo-
National, had a bogey- which he loves for the look geys when he did, but
free 66. and the way he plays it. he closed with a 4-iron
They were at 8-under 134. “I think it sets up very good from 204 yards up the hill
Jordan Spieth was headed to me. It looks good to to 6 feet for birdie on the
home, though not without my eye. It’s a beautiful ninth.q
a brief fight. course,” Johnson said. “It’s
Spieth, the No. 1 player in fun to play. You’ve got to
the world, opened with hit a lot of different shots,
a 79 and knew he would and it never plays easy. So
have needed something this is about as easy as it
in the low 60s to have a can play right now, good
chance of making the cut. weather and the greens
He made it hard on himself are really soft. Still, the
with two early bogeys, then scores are not that low.”
ran off four straight bird- All but two of his drivers
ies around the turn to get went at least 300 yards,
within range. But he made and one stood out in par-
bogey on No. 2 with a poor ticular. He took it over a tall
iron shot to end any realis- eucalyptus tree on the 458-
tic chance. Spieth made yard 13th hole, leaving him
eight birdies in a round of only 116 yards to the pin.
68 and missed by at least He nearly holed the sec-
four shots. ond shot, only for it to spin
“Coming into the day, the back some 20 feet and
hard part is trying to make lead to a two-putt par.
enough birdies, and I did Still, it sure got Adam Scott’s
that,” Spieth said. “Just too attention.
many mistakes.” “Fourth hole of our day,
Rory McIlroy and Bubba he’s swinging like it’s 95 de-
Watson played in the after- grees and midday some-
noon. where,” Scott said. “I was
Camilo Villegas, who looking for another cup of
opened with a 63, made coffee and he’s piping it
double bogey on his sec- over the trees on 13. The
ond hole and wound up way he drives the golf ball
with a 74. He was three is just unreal. He’s an in-
shots behind Johnson and credible talent and fun to
Merritt. play with, fun to watch.”
Johnson lost in a three-man Scott didn’t do too shab-
playoff a year ago, and bily. He had a 68 and was
before that finished second part of the group at 6-un-
to Watson. He hasn’t won der 136.
since Doral last year, and Also in that group was an-
he hasn’t seriously chal- other major champion —
lenged in the final round of Justin Leonard, the 1997
any tournament since the British Open champion —
HSBC Champions last No- who took a winter’s break
vember. that even Johnson would
Turns out there’s a reason. admire. Leonard packed
He stopped playing. up and moved his wife and
