PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Dustin Johnson, the world No. 1, hopes that a new putter and a new putting method will help turn around his fortunes at a premier golf championship that has mystified him for years.
Johnson got off to the right start on Thursday at the Players Championship, taming the sometimes diabolical TPC Sawgrass to shoot a relatively breezy 6-under 66 and join five others with the Day 1 lead.
It was his best score ever on the Stadium Course, and only his fourth time in the 60s.
Johnson, 33, is in his 10th Players, where he has finished better than a tie for 28th only once, that being a tie for 12th last year.