Dustin Johnson Jumps Out to Early Lead at Pebble Beach

Sports News - February 12th, 2010 - Written By Bryan

Dustin Johnson has been a familiar name atop leader boards early in this 2010 PGA Tour season, and it held true again following the first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Johnson, the defending champion of the event, came out of the gate firing an eight under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead.

He held the first and second round lead last week at the Northern Trust Open before surrendering it to eventual champion Steve Stricker.

After playing very consistent on throughout the first 13 holes of his round on Thursday at Pebble Beach, Johnson went on a tear, making five consecutive birdies to complete his opening round.

The field for the tournament competed on three different courses for the event. In the past, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill have been the two layouts players navigate through, but an addition was made this year. Monterey Peninsula joined the bunch, to phenomenal reviews by all players.

"One of my favorites now on tour," Phil Mickelson remarked after beginning his tournament on the new course. He shot 68.

David Duval also started well, shooting a five under-par 67 on Spyglass Hill, which historically has played the most difficult in the tournament. The theme continued on Thursday, as the stroke average for Spyglass Hill was 71.52, compared to 70.89 on Pebble Beach and 69.97 on Monterey Peninsula.

Each player will compete on a different course for the first three days of the tournament, with the last round played at the signature Pebble Beach.

Ambiguity would be a word to describe the leader board.

"No one," Duval jokingly remarked in response to who is leading the tournament. "All the courses are so different. It's hard to tell until after the third day."

The unpredictable weather in the area was surprisingly calm on day one. Players on Pebble Beach were able to take advantage, which included Johnson.

"It's one of the best places you want to be when it's good weather," Johnson remarked. "It's so pretty, too. It's a fun place to be."

Mickelson, the pre-tournament betting favorite, played his first nine holes in three under-par, but missed several opportunities on the closing nine to push his score lower.

"We caught it on a pretty calm day, and I thought that there were some low rounds to be had out there," Mickelson remarked after his round. "But you've got to make some putts. That was the one area that I didn't quite do."

With his one shot lead, Johnson has been installed as the new favorite to win, with odds at 5/1 according to the PGA Betting Lines at Bodog sportsbook.

He continues his quest to repeat as champion of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.