Spieth loses top ranking

Bubba Watson charged into a tie for the first-round lead at The Barclays on Thursday while newly crowned world number one Jordan Spieth struggled to his worst score of the year in relation to par.

Spieth might lose his No. 1 ranking, but he is virtually assured of being among the top five in the FedEx Cup when these three playoff events conclude at East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship. One more would have cost him a shot.

The 2012 and 2014 Masters champion leads the field at seven-under-par going into day three.

And now Spieth, who became the game’s top gun two weeks ago with his runner-up finish in the PGA Championship, falls to No. 2 as Rory McIlroy will reclaim the top spot when the rankings are released Monday. The 22-year-old Texan carded a four-over par 74, just the third time in his last 33 rounds that he failed to break par.

“It’s just patience”, Johnson said.

Champions: Paul Goydos and Gene Sauers shared the first-round lead at 6-under 66 in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at Endicott, New York John Huston and Ian Woosnam were a stroke back. Fans scattered after seemingly every tee shot as Watson hit only four of 14 fairways Friday. “That’s what was weird about the round”. Which came in addition to the one-stroke penalty he took for taking a drop because his ball was unplayable in the hazard.

The other first-round co-leaders, Bubba Watson, Spencer Levin and Camilo Villegas of Colombia, were among the later starters, along with world number one Jordan Spieth, who ended the first round a hefty nine shots back after an opening 74. “It’s understandable with all the stuff that he’s been doing”.

Best of the rest: Johnson played a bogey-free round of his own, a 5-under 65, to get into a three-way tie for second at 6 under, one back.

Palmer, who moved into the hunt on Friday at Plainfield Country Club with a second-round 67, said he never considered skipping this week’s Barclays after Butch died on August.

Watson, meanwhile, had no complaints. “Rory is still coming back from an injury, so I think it makes sense that he took the week off, from what I understand, just trying to get 100 percent healthy”.

“Billy Horschel won the FedEx Cup after missing the cut in the first event past year and I’m in better position than he was at the time”, he said. Instead, he bogeyed four holes during a five-hole stretch on the front nine Friday, following up with bogeys on 12 and 18.

“I wasn’t thinking about a whole lot. I just wanted to be certain about it”. I still believe I’m playing well. Even when I was making pars, I was burning the edge from 10 feet. “I missed the cut last time and I made the cut this time”. “I have cuts all over my forearms and burn marks”, he said. The Hall of Fame announcer’s consecutive years of service make him the longest-tenured broadcaster with one team in sports history. “I just need to limit the mistakes”.