Johnson takes early control at Tiger's event

THOUSAND OAKS - Zach Johnson, with his renowned wedge game in sparkling order, soared to the top of the leaderboard with a five-under-par 67 in Thursday's (Friday, PHL time) opening round at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge.

Twice a runner-up in the elite 18-player event hosted by world number one Tiger Woods, American Johnson mixed seven birdies with two bogeys to take control on a sun-splashed but chilly day at Sherwood Country Club.

Compatriot Matt Kuchar, a double winner on the 2013 PGA Tour, was alone in second after a 68 while five-time champion Woods had to settle for a 71 after missing a three-foot birdie putt at the last.

Johnson, who finished second at the 2011 World Challenge, was delighted with his opening round after the scheduled start of play was delayed by frost for an hour.

"I did everything decent, drove it well for the most part with the exception of probably the last hole," Johnson, a 10-time champion on the PGA Tour, told reporters. "I wedged it really good.

"Any time I had a wedge in my hand, I seemed to be hitting my lines and my yardages, which is certainly key. I putted it great. Just a real solid day all around.

"I kept the course in front of me, I was aggressive when I needed to be aggressive and I was conservative when I needed to be conservative. But it's nothing more than a decent start."

Birdie blitz

Johnson was especially pleased that he managed to birdie four of the five par-five holes on the heavily undulating, Jack Nicklaus-designed layout.

"I hit it close," the 37-year-old said. "I hit it close on two, I hit it close on 11, 13, and I hit it close on 16. I had good shots in there with the proper spin, nothing more than that.

"But you've got to take advantage of them [the par-fives]. You've got five of them."

Despite a perfectly manicured layout and very little wind, only five players in the field of 18 dipped under par in the opening round but Johnson was not at all surprised.

"First of all, there's some tough pins," he said. "Second, it's that time of year where some guys are trying to shake rust off. That may be part of it.

Woods, who won the most recent of his five titles here in 2011, was a little frustrated with his score after missing short putts on both his first and last holes.

"I made a few mistakes today, I also hit a couple of good shots that ended up in some interesting spots," the 14-time major champion said. "That can happen out here. Maybe I could have gotten one or two more [shots] out of it.

"There's some tough pins out there. You miss them on the wrong spots, you're going to pay a price, and I think that's kind of what's signified in the scoring. No one is running away with it. Nobody went low today."

Defending champion Graeme McDowell, who also triumphed here in 2010, opened with a 72 while fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy carded a 73, just four days after winning his first title of the year at the Australian Open.

"My [putting] speed was a little clumsy, and it showed today on the greens," McDowell said after offsetting four birdies with four bogeys. "But generally I was quite happy the way I hit the ball."

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Golf-Poor putting costs Woods two shots at Sherwood

(Reuters) - Two short missed putts bookended a grinding round for Tiger Woods as the tournament host opened with a one-under-par 71 at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge on Thursday.

In pursuit of his sixth victory this year, the American world number one drove the ball well but was not as sharp with his irons and his putting as he finished up four strokes behind the pace-setting Zach Johnson in an elite field of 18.

Woods, who has won his event a record five times, missed a three-footer for par on his opening hole and a birdie putt from a similar distance at the par-four last to end the opening round with just four players ahead of him.

"I felt like I hit the ball decent today," the 14-time major champion said after missing only two fairways at Sherwood Country Club with a new driver in his bag. "I missed two short ones (putts) there at one and the kick-in at 18.

"That's a couple of shots right there, and I'm only two back. I had a couple of good ones (shots) on the back nine today that ended up in some very interesting spots. The golf course is kind of set up that way right now.

"There are some tough pins out there. You miss them on the wrong spots, you're going to pay a price and I think that's kind of what's signified in the scoring. No one is running away with it. Nobody went low today."

Only four players in the field dipped under par on Thursday - Johnson (67), Matt Kuchar (68), Hunter Mahan (70) and Bubba Watson (70).

FIRST APPEARANCE

Woods, who triumphed a season-high five times on the 2013 PGA Tour, was making his first tournament appearance since tying for third at the European Tour's Turkish Airlines Open a month ago.

"Probably just my feel," he said of the hardest thing to regain in his game after a lengthy break from competition. "I drove it pretty good today, and I just didn't quite hit my irons well and didn't make a lot of putts.

"You've got to give these greens a little bit of respect. If you miss the ball in the wrong spots, which I did a couple of times above the hole, you have to play pretty defensively. I had a lot of putts where I had to worry about the speed."

Woods, who became the first player of black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died earlier on Thursday at the age of 95 after a prolonged lung infection.

"I got a chance to meet with him back in '98 with my father (Earl) at his home and we had a great lunch together," Woods said, referring to a trip he made to South Africa that year to compete in the Million Dollar Challenge.

"It was one of the most inspiring times I've ever had in my life. He certainly had an impact on my life and certainly my father's. When he came out (of prison), the country (South Africa) could have fallen apart.

"It could have gone a lot of different ways, and he led it to where it's at now. The world is going to miss him."

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Two-way tie for the opening round lead in Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina (December 5, 2013) – Florida’s Ryan Blaum and Argentina’s Rafael Echenique share the lead after the opening round of the 108th playing of the VISA Open de Argentina presented by Peugeot.

Taking advantage of the prime scoring conditions of the morning, both went bogey-free on their way to rounds of 5-under 67 for a solid start in the decisive final event of the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica 2013 season.

“Any day you can go around this golf course without a bogey it’s a good day,” Blaum said. “You know I played very solid, I hit the ball well, made some big par putts, so I’m happy with my first round. It’s just the first day though.”

Entering the week ranked No. 2 on the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Order of Merit, Blaum needs to earn $3,572 more that José de Jesús Rodríguez in order to overtake him as No. 1. The Tour’s top player will claim the Roberto De Vicenzo Award and will also earn full exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2014.

Blaum, who teed off on No. 10 Thursday, helped his cause with a chip-in birdie on No. 6 and a 25-foot birdie conversion on No. 9 to close out his round.

“I can’t control what José does, so kind of thinking about that right now wouldn’t be worth it,” Blaum said. “My goal right now is to relax, have fun and play my game.”

The 30-year-old Blaum was playing alongside Rodríguez on Thursday and pulled five shots clear of him as the current money leader found water twice in the opening round.

After finishing in a tie for sixth at the Abierto De Chile two weeks ago and tied for third place at the Personal Classic last week, Echenique kept his good pace with a flawless round of three birdies and one eagle.

“I saved good pars on 11 and 12 and then I made an eagle on 13, where I hit a terrific 3-wood within 10 feet of the pin,” he said. “That gave me a boost.”

The 33-year-old Echenique, who won this event back in 2006, said that having his younger brother Juan Emilio as a caddie was critical for his success.

“We are very different and the good thing is that he knows how to help me out there,” Echenique said. “I’m anxious and he is more patient. I’m working well with him and my coach Hernán Rey.”

At 69, two strokes off the pace, were Argentina’s Miguel Carballo and Colombia’s Diego Velásquez, who were paired together in the morning. Carballo had a bogey-free round, while Velásquez chipped-in for birdie at the last.

NOTES:

Weather Sunny and clear in the morning, partly cloudy in the afternoon. A high of 75 degrees. Winds coming from the Southeast were a significant factor in the afternoon.

Scores under par Only 13 players were able to score in red numbers today. Among them, Argentina’s Emilio Domínguez and Rodolfo González posted lowest of the afternoon with 70s.

Defending champion Ángel Cabrera Starting off the 10th tee at 7:44 a.m., Argentina’s Ángel Cabrera got off to a good start with three birdies on the front nine. His good pace was halted by a bogey on No. 5 and then he hit his tee shot in the water on the sixth and carded a triple bogey. He finished birdie-birdie-par to post a 1-under 71 to claim a piece of the ninth spot.

“I hit one bad shot today (in the water on 6) and it cost me a triple-bogey, but I managed to make some good puts to finish the day under par,” the 44-year old Cabrera said of his performance on a course where he by four shots last year.

The two-time major champion responded well to the doubts about a shoulder injury that forced him to rest and undergo therapy in recent weeks.

“I feel perfect,” he said. “Luckily I did not feel any discomfort at any time. Everything is all right.”

“Los Cinco” The following are the scores and positions for the four players ranked in the top 5 of the NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica competing in this event:

T1. Ryan Blaum, USA 67 (-5) #2 OM

T14. José de Jesús Rodríguez, Mexico 72 (par) #1 OM

T41. Jorge Fernández Valdés, Argentina 74 (+2) #4 OM

T117. Manuel Villegas, Colombia 82 (+10) #5 OM

Los Cinco are the five leading player in the Order of Merit of NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica. At the end of this tournament, the players holding those five spots will earn playing status for the 2014 season on the Web.com Tour.

Race for No. 5 Colombia’s Manuel Villegas had a long afternoon of ​​five bogeys, three double-bogeys and only one birdie for an unlikely 82. His playing partner Julián Etulain of Argentina was unable to take much advantage by carding a 77 of his own. Villegas and Etulain entered the week ranked fifth and sixth in the Order of Merit, battling for the last spot among Los Cinco. If Villegas misses the cut, Etulain would need to finish at least in a two-way tie for third or better to finish among Los Cinco.

Bitter finish for Julio Zapata Playing in the afternoon, when conditions were considerably more windy than in the morning, Argentina’s Julio Zapata seemed to be on his way to the top of the leaderboard. He was at 5 under with two holes left to play, but closed with a double-bogey on No. 8 and a quadruple-bogey on the ninth for a 73.

Bogey- free rounds (4)

Ryan Blaum, USA (67), Rafael Echenique, Argentina (67), Miguel Carballo, Argentina (69), Sergio Acevedo, Argentina (70). There were no bogey free rounds in the afternoon.

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Zach Johnson takes lead in Sherwood swan song

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) Zach Johnson already is looking ahead to next year, and one of his priorities is to score better on the par 5s. He got started on that Thursday in the World Challenge.

Johnson birdied four of the five par 5s on a chilly afternoon at Sherwood Country Club, sending him to a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar. They were among only five players in the elite 18-man field who broke par.

One of them was tournament host Tiger Woods, who had a new driver in the bag and missed only two fairways. The problem was his putter. Woods opened his round by missing a short par putt, and he finished it by missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th. He wound up with a 71.

Kuchar played with Woods - they were partners at the Presidents Cup - and hit his approach into 2 feet for birdie on the final hole.

Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson were at 70. They are among seven players who have yet to win a tournament anywhere in the world this year, even though all 18 players in the World Challenge are in the top 30 in the world ranking.

The tournament counts toward the ranking, though everything else about it is unofficial. For some players, it's a time to shake off some rust and test new equipment. For others, it's the end of a long year.

Johnson had his annual "summit" with his team of coaches at the start of the week. They go over the year, crunch statistics and lay out goals for where to improve in 2014. One of the areas was par-5 scoring.

"A highlight that we're looking into next year is trying to play those holes a little bit better," Johnson said. "I don't know what I did that today. I hit it close. I had good shots in there with the proper spin, nothing more than that. But you've got to take advantage of them. You've got five of them. The thing is ... one errant shot, you're staring a 6 right in the face, if not more. There's a lot of penal areas."

There was plenty of punishment for some players in the field.

Steve Stricker was among those under par until a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish put him at 75. Jordan Spieth, coming off a sensational rookie season and playing for the first time since the HSBC Champions in Shanghai a month ago, had a 77 and was last in the field. Jason Day, who won the individual and team title at the World Cup two weeks ago at Royal Melbourne, had a 76.

Rory McIlroy, with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki following him, was hopeful of building momentum from his first win of the year last week in the Australian Open. He missed a few short putts, found the water on the par-3 15th and had a 73. He played with defending champion Graeme McDowell, who had a 72.

McDowell saw a note that his last eight rounds at Sherwood were in the 60s. That streak ended Thursday, though for good reason.

"The course hasn't been this tough in a couple years," McDowell said. "The scoring reflects that. The greens are much firmer. The speed of them caught me by surprise a little bit today. My speed was a little clumsy, and it showed today on the greens."

This is the final year the tournament is being played at Sherwood. It moves to Isleworth just outside Orlando, Fla., next year.

Woods has played only one tournament since the Presidents Cup, and that was a tie for third in the Turkish Open. He said he struggled with his irons - even though he missed only two fairways, he hit only 12 greens - and couldn't get enough putts to fall.

"I made a few mistakes today," Woods said. "I also hit a couple of good shots that ended up in some interesting spots. That can happen out there. I shot about the score ... maybe could have gotten one or two more out of it."

Johnson had few complaints. He opened with two birdies, and then surged ahead on the back nine with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch, three of them on the par 5s. Johnson has a pair of runner-up finishes at this event, and with the tournament moving, this is his last shot at Sherwood.

"I did everything decent," he said. "Just a real solid day all around. I was aggressive when I needed to be aggressive, and I was conservative when I needed to be conservative. It's nothing more than a decent start."

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European Tour: Simon Dyson banned for two months for "serious" code breach

Simon Dyson has been handed a two-month ban, suspended for 18 months, and fined £30,000 for a "serious breach" of the European Tour's code of behaviour during October's BMW Masters.

The 35-year-old has also been asked to pay £7,500 towards the European Tour's legal costs.

A three-man disciplinary panel, chaired by Ian Mill QC, found Dyson guilty after he failed to add a two-shot penalty to his card following an incident on the eighth hole, when he touched the line of his putt after marking his ball, appearing to flatten a spike mark.

The English golfer, who was joint second after 36 holes at Lake Malaren, was disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect score for his second round.

The panel, which also included former European Tour player Gordon Brand Jnr and League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan, found that Dyson had deliberately pressed down the spike mark despite knowing it was against the rules.

Statement

In a statement on Thursday the panel revealed they had imposed "a period of suspension from the Tour of two months, but to suspend its operation for a period of 18 months.

"If during that 18 month period, Mr Dyson commits any breach of the Rules of Golf, his case will be referred back to the Panel to determine whether in the circumstances the suspension should immediately become effective.

"If, however, at the end of that period, he has committed no such breach, then the threat of a suspension will fall away."

In coming to the ruling, the panel said it had taken into account Dyson's previous good conduct and the fact that it was a "momentary aberration on his part, not a premeditated act of cheating",

Dyson's disqualification came in the first of the inaugural Final Series events at the end of the 2013 season.

He did not play in either of the following two tournaments, thereby ending his chances of finishing in the top 60 on the Race to Dubai and qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The six-time European Tour winner returned to action at the start of the 2014 season in November, finishing joint 52nd in the South African Open and then joint third in the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week.

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Omega Dubai Ladies Masters: Stacy Lewis leads after second round

American Stacy Lewis claimed a one-shot lead after the second round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters after firing a superb seven-under-par 65.

The 24-year-old world No 3 carded four birdies on both the front and back nine at the Emirates Golf Course, with her only bogey coming at the par-three 15th, to move to nine-under 135 at the halfway stage of the tournament.

Lewis is one ahead of Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg (69) and two clear of Spain's Carlota Ciganda (70), with Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum (70) occupying fourth place on six under.

Scotland's Vikki Laing (70) and Laura Davies of England (71) are then among a quartet of players three shots further back on three under.

English teenager Charley Hull's hopes of ending her rookie campaign with a victory slumped after she could only manage a level-par 72 which left her on two under.

Lewis said: "The putts went in today. I made a little adjustment on the practice green and it seemed to work. I made a couple of long ones that I probably shouldn't have made and it turned out to be a good day.

"I'm going to have to keep going and take care of business but I prefer being where I am now to where I was last night."

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Nedbank Golf Challenge: Luke Donald leads weather-shortened first round

Former world number one Luke Donald made a lightning quick start to the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City before lightning struck for real to help cut short the day's play early.

Donald continued his recent resurgence with a quick start helping him to claim a two-shot lead before bad weather brought an end to a broken-up day of play.

Donald, who claimed his first win of the year by defending his Dunlop Phoenix title in Japan 11 days ago, was five under par after 11 holes when play was abandoned for the day due to the threat of lightning.

Almost three hours had already been lost to bad weather, the first thunderstorm hitting the course shortly after noon local time, by which time world number 15 Donald had already moved top of the leaderboard.

The 35-year-old got off to a brilliant start with a birdie from five feet on the first and an eagle from 15ft on the par-five second, and remained three under after six holes when the players were forced from the course.

When play resumed Donald picked up further shots at the eighth and ninth to be out in 31, two shots ahead of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, Wales' Jamie Donaldson and Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge, who saw his approach to the ninth spin back into the hole for an eagle three.

Good start

"It doesn't get much better than a three-three start around here," said Donald. "Birdie-eagle and all of a sudden you are three under par through two holes.

"I played solid for those first 11 holes and hit a couple of very nice shots in that time that I was able to take advantage of. I feel good over the ball right now and I am playing with confidence.

"I took a lot of confidence from winning in Japan. It is a place that I love to go back and a course that I love to play so it was very satisfying to be able to go back there and defend.

"I had seen good signs in Dubai the week before that and did some good work on my long game with Chuck Cook before I left for Dubai and I really felt the benefit of that.

"I also have to say that the putting came back in Dubai and Japan. That had been a little off for most of the year so it was very encouraging to get that back and I am feeling good about my game right now."

Defending champion Martin Kaymer was a shot further back on two under with European number one Henrik Stenson one under through seven, but US Open champion Justin Rose was in joint 28th in the 30-man field after four bogeys in his first eight holes.

Play is scheduled to resume at 7:30am local time on Friday.

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