Four players tied for lead at Valero Texas Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Dustin Johnson is using a new technique for his putting and he likes the results. Frustrated over not seeing enough putts go in over the last three months, Johnson tried the “AimPoint” method that some players use to help them read the greens. He opened with six birdies on the back nine, only once had a putt over 3 feet for par and wound up with a 6-under 66 to share the early lead at THE PLAYERS Championship. Alex Noren and Webb Simpson also were at 66 among the early starters Thursday. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, playing together for the first time in nearly four years, were out in the afternoon when the light wind was a little stronger. Johnson and the early birds couldn’t ask for better scoring conditions at TPC Sawgrass. Johnson, whose No. 1 ranking is in jeopardy this week, made the putts he had been missing in Mexico and Riviera, at Augusta National and Hilton Head. So he had one of his coaches, Allen Terrell, teach the method to Austin Johnson, his brother and caddie. And then the world’s No. 1 player picked it up quickly, and they were on their way. “I was just not making enough putts,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely helped. Because I’m a feel putter, anyway, and so the way you’re doing it really is you’re just feeling. So it definitely works. I was pretty good the first time I switched. I had done it a little bit, like messing around with it. I’m very pleased with the way I putted today.” It involves a player holding up one or two fingers, depending on the length of the putt, to help determine. “The only thing I don’t like is holding up fingers,” Johnson said. “I make AJ do that.” The scoring was so easy that 43 of the 72 players who teed off in the morning broke par. Defending champion Si Woo Kim had the lead until two late bogeys. He had to settle for a 67, still a strong start considering that no one has ever won back to back in the PGA TOUR’s premier event. Also at 67 was Keith Mitchell, who only got into the tournament Wednesday when Paul Casey had to withdraw with an injury. Mitchell played nine holes of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, and made his debut with four straight birdies at the start. All that ruined his day was a double bogey at the par-3 third hole, his 12th of the day. “I don’t want to say it was a surprise. I’ve been playing well lately,” Mitchell said. “I was surprised to be able to play, first of all, so that was more of the surprise, just to be able to tee it up. When we did, we just tried to take advantage of our opportunity.” Among those who didn’t take advantage was the feature group of the morning — Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. They were a combined 3 over, and McIlroy had the best score of the group with a 71. “It could have been better. I could have been probably a little worse, as well. It was probably a fair reflection of how I played,” McIlroy said. “It looked like it played easy out there, but our group didn’t feel like that with what we shot.” Spieth hit into the water three times in his opening seven holes, leading to a pair of bogeys and double bogey. He also drove the 12th green to 10 feet for eagle. But he shot a 75, and he’ll have to work hard Friday to avoid missing the cut for the fourth straight year at THE PLAYERS. Johnson doesn’t have a great track record on the Stadium Course. The 66 was his best round by two shots, and only the fourth time he broke 70. The timing couldn’t have been better, especially with his No. 1 ranking on the line. He opened with simple birdies at the 11th and 12th (eagle chances at both), and made a 10-footer at No. 14 and a 20-footer on the par-5 16th. The bonus was on the 18th, when his 35-foot birdie putt had plenty of speed as it swirled into the cup. He also made a 10-foot birdie at the par-5 second, and then didn’t have many reasonable chances the rest of the way. But it was free of stress, too. His only brush with bogey was a 6-foot par putt on the island-green 17th. “I don’t think I putted very well around here as a whole,” Johnson said of his record at Sawgrass. “That’s one thing I’ve struggled around here with, and today I rolled it nicely.”  

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THE OVERVIEW Forty years ago, the barrier still existed. No player had ever shot lower than 60 at a PGA TOUR event. Then on June 10, 1977, Al Geiberger teed off on the 10th hole to start his second round on the South Course at Colonial Country Club in the Memphis, Tennessee, suburb of Cordova. Eighteen holes later, he had done for golf what Roger Bannister had achieved in track and field in 1954. He had done the impossible. When Bannister became the first person to run a sub-4 minute mile, his record lasted 46 days. When Geiberger became the first TOUR player to shoot 59, it took 14 years before another player could match it – and 39 years before Jim Furyk went a shot lower to set the new mark. This week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic marks the 40th anniversary of Geiberger’s legendary achievement. While breaking 60 is no longer impossible, it still remains an uncommon occurrence on TOUR. Just seven other players have done it — twice, of course, for Furyk. Unlike Geiberger, each of those players had the benefit of knowing it was not impossible. “That’s pretty much it, right?â€� said Adam Hadwin, the most recent member of the club after he shot 59 in January at the CareerBuilder Challenge. “Nobody said that a 4-minute mile could be run, right? … Nobody said it could be broken – and then one person broke it, and now it’s a routine thing, right? … “Once you see it done, you know it can be done.â€� Of the eight players who have shot 59 or lower, three will be in the field this week – Furyk, Stuart Appleby (2010) and David Duval (1999). Furyk is playing this event for the first time in 23 years; Appleby and Duval have made frequent appearances here the last few seasons. Each has reached a place most golfers can only dream of going. Perhaps at some point during their rounds this week at TPC Southwind – which took over from Colonial as the host course in 1989 — they’ll take a step back and think about the man who paved the way 40 years ago.  THREE TO PONDER Phil Mickelson Phil the Cut Maker! Has made 16 consecutive cuts, tying him with Louis Oosthuizen for longest active streak on TOUR. Rickie Fowler After making his first appearance in Memphis three years ago, he followed it with a T-2 at the U.S. Open. Seeking similar bounce. Daniel Berger Since his breakthrough win here a year ago, he has five top-10s but has struggled to consistently contend. THE FLYOVER A closer look at TPC Southwind’s finishing hole, the 453-yard par-4 18th. Last year, it played to a stroke average of 4.201, making it the fourth most difficult hole on the course, and ranked as the 12th most difficult closing hole on TOUR last season. Just like its shorter but slightly more severe cousin, the par-4 12th (see below), the 18th’s primary defense is water. A total of 805 shots have ended up in the water since 2003, fifth most of any hole on TOUR during that span.  THE LANDING ZONE The 406-yard par-4 12th is the most difficult hole on the back nine at TPC Southwind. Last year, it played to a stroke average of 4.212. Guarded by water down the entire right side and in front of the green, players must avoid water off the tee and with their approach shots. Often they are unsuccessful. Since 2003, a total of 829 balls have found the water, the third-most of any hole on TOUR during that span. (TPC Scottsdale’s 15th and Quail Hollow’s 7th are only holes with more). Here’s a look at where all tee shots were struck last season at the 12th. WEATHER CHECK Dry conditions are anticipated through the weekend. Temperatures will gradually warm through the week, reaching a high near 90 degrees on Sunday. Comfortable humidity levels will be in place through Friday, but light southerly flow will allow humidity levels to trend higher for the weekend. TEMPS: Could be as high as 90 degrees on Sunday. RAIN: Nothing significant in the forecast. A very minimal chance of precipitation on Sunday. WINDS: Shouldn’t be more than 10 mph on any single day, but the winds are expected to shift from south to north on the weekend. For the latest weather news from Memphis, Tennessee, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK It’s the most underrated golf course we play on TOUR. I think the beauty of this course is in its simplicity and how it really challenges you with precision, not necessarily overwhelming length. WATER CENTRAL No course on TOUR produces more water balls than TPC Southwind. A few numbers: 4,964 – Balls in the water at TPC Southwind since 2003. That’s 1,608 more than the next course on the list, TPC Sawgrass (3,356 water balls) 647 – Number of players that have hit at least one shot into the water at TPC Southwind since 2003. 102 – Number of balls hit in the water at the 11th hole at TPC Southwind in 2004. That’s the most of any single hole in any given tournament at the course since 2003. 9 – Number of balls Camilo Villegas has hit in the water at the 18th hole in his career. That’s the most of any player – and yes, Camilo is in the field this week. ODDS AND ENDS 1. COUPLE OF DEBUTS. Amateur Braden Thornberry, who won the individual NCAA title last week as a sophomore at Ole Miss, will make his PGA TOUR debut. And England’s Sam Horsfield is making his professional debut following two seasons at the University of Florida. Thornberry currently ranks 16th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, while Horsfield was No. 3 prior to turning pro. 2. BIRDIE-FREE SUNDAY. The last two times on TOUR that the eventual tournament winner has failed to record a birdie in the final round has happened in this event. Justin Leonard led by eight shots entering the final round in 2005, shot a 3-over 73 and won by a stroke. Ben Crane led by three shots in 2014, shot a 73 and won by a stroke. 3. SEERSUCKER SUNDAY. Players and caddies are encouraged to wear seersucker apparel on Sunday to show support for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The promotion is in partnership with Brooks Brothers.

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The first time admittedly was tough. And the second? “It was suffering from the get-go,â€� Camilo Villegas says. With those words came a smile of satisfaction, though. After all, the uber-fit Villegas enjoys testing his limits – and that’s exactly what he did that day when he rode with countryman Santiago Botero. Botero is a former professional cyclist from Colombia who has competed in the Tour de France three times – even winning a stage and donning the famous polka dot jersey for capturing its mountains classification in 2000. Botero represented his country in the Olympic Games four years later, too, the same year Villegas became a golf pro. Villegas was home in Medellin that day and had called a friend to see if he wanted to join him for a ride. His buddy showed up with Botero, the former individual time trial world champion who has since become one of Villegas’ close friends.  Suffice it to say their ride that day in 2007 was a bit more challenging than the 37-mile climb up the hill behind his home that Villegas took the first time he got on a bike. And he absolutely loved it. The passion born that day has continued. In fact, Villegas – who has inspirational tattoos saying “Attitudeâ€� and “Positive Energyâ€� on his right and left wrists, respectively — has been known to say that he has “obsessive cycling disorder.â€� When Villegas got back to his home in Jupiter, Florida, after those initial rides, he bought a bike. He doesn’t take it with him to tournaments – Villegas does spin classes and elliptical and cardio to stay in shape – but his off weeks are a different story. When the Colombian is at home in the Sunshine State, he usually rides five times a week. Tuesday and Thursdays, he bikes about 35-40 miles per day. The weekend when most of us rest are his big days – he’ll ride about 75 miles on Saturday and 60 or so on Sunday. Villegas’ longest ride? Well, he estimates that was 130 miles. And how long does it take? “It all depends,â€� he says. “You do the math. If you’re going solo and average about 22, 23 miles an hour.  If I’m going with a group, the group gets rolling around 26, 29, 30. “If you go to Colombia, it’s going to take a longer time.  If you go in Florida, it’s going to be a lot faster because it’s flat.â€� A ride that long, though, certainly isn’t the norm. Get close to 100 miles in a day and Villegas says your day is basically over. “You don’t have energy to do much more,â€� he explains.  And fatigue certainly doesn’t help Villegas’ golf game. The 36-year-old Colombian, who earned a degree in business from the University of Florida, is one of the most fit players on the PGA TOUR. Cycling is just one part of his workout, though. “You’ve got to mix it with a lot of things,â€� he says. “Obviously, when you start cycling so much, you’re going to get a pretty tight IT band and hamstrings and stuff.  You have got to balance it out.  “When I’m on the road, obviously, I do weights and a lot of explosive stuff and I do a lot of stretching and mobility.  No, it’s my peaceful spot, but the workout portion of golf-related stuff is another thing.â€� Villegas has developed a tight circle of friends who ride – both in Jupiter and his childhood home — many of whom are professional cyclers. He’s never ridden with Paul Casey, a TOUR player who rides seriously, but they talk about the sport frequently and he plans a trip  to the Italian Alps in 2018 that is similar to the one that the Brit took several years ago. No matter where he rides, though, Villegas enjoys the experience. The physical factor is obviously a part of it but he also finds a mental benefit to the journey. “It kind of keeps me in balance just because it’s a quiet spot,â€� Villegas  explains. “We come out here, there’s a lot going on.  I go home, I have family and friends, a little more social life.  “When I hop on the bike, I just try to follow a wheel or make the boys follow my wheel.  There’s a lot going on, but it’s a quiet spot.â€�

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