Strong start for Johnson

Dustin Johnson has taken advantage of relatively calm early conditions to seize a one-shot lead in the opening round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Fellow Americans Matt Kuchar, Russell Henley, Harris English and J.B. Holmes, and Australian Jason Day, opened with 68s as the wind began to pick up on the visually spectacular but challenging links-style layout.

“Well, I hit it great today, but I made actually nothing”, the 39-year-old said after carding five bogeys and two birdies on a morning when 25 players dipped below par.

Nothing stung more than the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, where three putts from 12 feet on the final hole took him from a chance to win his first major to a runner-up finish behind Jordan Spieth.

Johnson has held at least a share of the lead after round one in the last three majors.

The trio of Rory Sabbatini, Ernie Els and Branden Grace all signed for the same one-under 71 to lie five shots off the pace in a tie of 24th upon the completion of the first round.

With his opening 66, Johnson has played the first rounds of the four majors this year in a combined 20-under.

“I’ve had good putting rounds and I had bad ball-striking days on those days and then the flip side of it”, he said. I have enjoyed my debut appearances at the Masters and US Open, I made the cut at the former and missed at the latter.

Spieth, 22, was “pleased” with his outing because “under par was a good round”. “When you go and shoot seven, eight, or nine under in a Major in the first round, it’s a lot of pressure to absorb for the rest of the week, because you’re in contention”. If that’s the case, we won’t see a lot – or any – Woods playing in the US for a while. “I was controlling it”.

“This year I don’t have to worry about it, there’s a grandstand there”, he said.

McIlroy looked far more comfortable than the unfortunate Frenchman did that day as he pulled of a miraculous shot to land within in 10-feet of the hole. There’s plenty of golf to be played globally.

However, he was adamant that the ankle felt great, just like he had assured the press corps it did in his practices leading up to the tournament.

2nd – A drive of more than 300 yards allows McIlroy to reach the green in two and a two-putt birdie gets him back to level par. “It wasn’t the best of starts, but to hit those two shots on the second hole and make birdie, that sort of settled me down and I could get into the round”.

A month ago at St. Andrews, the Swede shot a 29 on the front nine in the British Open only to post a 40 on the back nine to fall back.