PGA season gets under way

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — The PGA Tour season finally got under way on Monday, and Dustin Johnson wasted no time taking control in the Tournament of Champions.

Johnson had not played the Plantation Course at Kapalua since Thursday. Once he got started, he hardly missed a shot. Johnson had seven putts at eagle over 36 holes, four on the back nine alone in the second round. He missed only three greens in regulation. And when his marathon day ended, he had rounds of 69-66 for a three-shot lead over defending champion Steve Stricker.

Three days behind schedule because of high wind, the season started on the day the tournament was supposed to finish. Rickie Fowler made PGA Tour history by hitting the opening shot of the season three times — the first two “opening rounds” had to be scrapped by 40 mph gusts roaring down the hills.

Johnson returned some degree of normalcy under warm sunshine and strong wind. He simply overpowered Kapalua, twice driving the green on par 4s, one of them into the wind. He was at 11-under 135, and that lead looms even larger with only one round to play.

Stricker started the long day wondering if he could even finish. From 67 yards away, his pitch rode the slope and the wind to perfection and dropped for eagle, and his spirits lifted.

Stricker added a pair of birdies on the front nine and had a 67 to reach 138.

Tags: sports, pga, golf