Dustin Johnson again in contention to win at Riviera
Once again, Dustin Johnson is in position to win at Riviera Country Club.
Johnson, who finished as a playoff co-runner-up last year alongside Paul Casey as James Hahn won for the first time on the PGA Tour, shot 5-under 66 in Round 2 of the Northern Trust Open. His 8-under total is two shots behind 36-hole leader Jason Kokrak. The South Carolina native played 17 bogey-free holes on Friday, all coming after a disappointing bogey on his first hole, the sneaky-tough short par-4 10th.
The 31-year-old didn’t have to make many long putts to score well. All but one his birdie putts were made inside of 10 feet. He didn’t have to struggle to save par very often, either, hitting 14 greens.
It’s a good first week with a new set of irons. Johnson swapped his prior set of TaylorMade blades to the cavity-back PSi Tours. It was the right time to make the switch, too. Although this is his fourth start of 2016, Johnson admits he’s still been knocking off some of the rust that came from avoiding golf in his offseason.
“To be honest, it really wasn’t surprising that I wasn’t playing very well, because I had not practiced at all,” he said.
He meant what he said.
“At all,” he affirmed. “I might have touched [a golf club], but I didn’t swing it.”
He didn’t look especially off in his first two starts. He finished T-10 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He was in great position halfway through the Farmers Insurance Open before slipping to a T-18 finish. However, when Johnson, a two-time winner at Pebble Beach, finished T-41 in an event that’s been a personal ATM over the years, it seemed clear he wasn’t quite all the way there yet.
He’s there now, and Friday playing partner Adam Scott can attest to it. After Johnson smashed a 330-yard drive on the par-4 12th, he decided to hit the same shot on the 13th. The problem? Johnson had to get by a line of eucalyptus trees. No problem.
“Fourth hole of our day, he’s swinging like it’s 95 degrees and midday somewhere,” Scott said. “I was looking for another cup of coffee and he’s piping it over the trees on 13. The way he drives the golf ball is just unreal.”
No wonder Johnson didn’t have to make many long birdie putts. When he can use his length to manhandle a golf course, Johnson can make golf look awfully easy.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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