Johnson, Spieth near top of leaderboard once again at Open Championship
The stars of this year's U.S. Open at Chambers Bay are at it again at the Open Championship with Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth sitting high on the leaderboard as they have wrapped up their opening rounds at St. Andrews.
Johnson said he was over his collapse at the the 18th hole at Chambers Bay and he proved it on Thursday, taking the clubhouse lead shooting a 7-under 65. The 31-year-old famously three-putted the final hole in June to miss out on a playoff.
Spieth, the beneficiary of Johnson's gaffe, also got off to a strong start on the Old Course shooting a 5-under 67 to sit two shots back. The 21-year-old can pass Rory McIlroy for No. 1 in the world golf ranking with a high finish this week and is in good position as he chases golf's Grand Slam.
Players pursuing 3rd leg of season slam - 1st round in that year's Open '15 Spieth - 67 '02 Woods, '72 Jack, '60 Palmer - 70 '53 Hogan - 73
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 16, 2015
With St. Andrews a long-hitting course like Chambers Bay, Johnson would once again seem to have an advantage over the shorter-hitting Spieth but the two-time major champion is confident he can keep up.
"I expect when (Dustin's) on the tee that it's going to be a mile down the fairway, but I also think I can birdie every hole," Spieth said following his round.
The pair will tee off at 9:34 a.m. ET on Friday along with Hideki Matsuyama – who shot an even-round 72.
Johnson's Round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 31 |
| Score | E | -1 | -2 | -2 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -5 | -5 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 34 |
| Score | -6 | -6 | -6 | -6 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 |
Spieth's Round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 31 |
| Score | -1 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 | -5 | -5 | -5 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 |
| Round 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 36 |
| Score | -5 | -6 | -6 | -5 | -5 | -5 | -5 | -4 | -5 | -5 |