USPGA Day 1: Johnson early lead again

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

DOES anybody out there remember Weebles? They were toys in the form of figures and they had a round base, which meant that no matter how hard you tried to knock them over, they kept bouncing back.

Dustin Johnson is golf's equivalent of a Weeble. This year alone, he has missed out on the US Open and The Open. At Chambers Bay, he came to the final green with a 12-foot putt to win the US Open, a tournament he threw away in 2010 when he crumbled after going into the last round with a three-shot lead. "You can be sure that he will not be racing this one three feet past," the commentator told us. But he did, and he missed the next too.

He flew across the Atlantic for The Open, brought St Andrews to its knees over the first two rounds and then went backwards in a hurry. You begin to ask just how many times one golfer can take as many knocks as this man has. Surely it has to affect you? Not if your name is Dustin Johnson.

The last time the US PGA championship was staged at Whistling Straits, in 2010, Johnson missed out after being penalised two shots for grounding his club in what was laughably described as a bunker. In fact, it was a dune where thousands of spectators had been trampling. The tournament is back at Whistling Straits and Johnson has spent the week thus far being asked about events of five years ago.

Well they won't be asking him again after he opened with a six-under-par round of 66, reducing many of the par fours to a drive and a wedge. The giant American finished his round early on and was then able to sit back and wonder if anybody could catch him.

"I am happy with that," he said. "I played a lot of quality shots and I putted really well too. It could actually have been lower, but you will always settle for a score like that to start a major. I know that I have the game to finish the job off on Sunday, and that's what I hope to do here."

Almost as resilient as Johnson is Jason Day, whose latest major disappointment came at St Andrews. With a putt on the 18th to join the playoff, he left it short and fought back the tears. He badly wanted to win his first major at the home of golf.  But the Australian dusted himself off and won the Canadian Open the very next week.

And so we come to another major and find Day near the top of the leaderboard again after a 68, one ahead of Justin Rose, who is many people's favourite to win his second major.

Four Englishmen - James Morrison, Andy Sullivan, Eddie Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton - are all playing in their first PGA championship, and Morrison really enjoyed the experience, shooting a three-under-par round of 69 that included a birdie three at the difficult 18th.

Morrison said: "I am feeling really comfortable at this level now. It is all about how much you want to achieve and getting stuck in and doing it."

Rory McIlroy's much anticipated comeback could hardly have got off to a worse start. On a hole where most of the field started with birdies, McIlroy found the rough from the tee, put his second shot 50 feet from the hole and three-putted for a bogey. He birdied the next then reeled off five pars in a row before another wayward drive cost him a bogey at the eighth. McIlroy bounced straight back with a brilliant approach to the ninth and reached the turn in level par. He was playing with Jordan Spieth, who could take over from the Northern Irishman as world number one this weekend, and the American also reached the turn in level par, but did it in a very different way, recording nine straight pars.

If there were any lingering doubts about McIlroy's left ankle, and its ability to withstand the terrific pressure he puts on it at impact, they were dispelled at the 572-yard par-five 11th, where he struck his drive 355 yards. He went on to birdie the hole and eventually signed for a 71, the same as Spieth.

David Lingmerth finished one behind Johnson, with Scott Piercey, Matt Kuchar, Matt Jones, Danny Lee, Russell Henley, JB Holmes and Harris English joining Day on four under.

Tiger Woods played in the easiest conditions of the day but his struggles continue and he was unable to take advantage. He battled round to a 75, swearing and spitting throughout. It is an unedifying sight and it is dreadful to hear the word "F***!" yelled after each bad shot. If he hates this game so much, why doesn't he just walk away from it?

Rickie Fowler had been going along nicely until he found a bunker at the par three seventh and took four shots to escape.

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