PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Dustin Johnson is near the top of a leaderboard at Pebble Beach.
What else is new? The guy who has owned Pebble Beach the last two years shot a 1-under-par 70 in Friday’s second round after opening with an even-par 71. Showing that his prowess at Pebble Beach can extend beyond February, Johnson finds himself with a late tee time for today’s third round.
“I’m very comfortable off the tee here,” Johnson said. “So I drive it pretty well, and in these greens, they’re really small. But if you’re hitting good quality shots, you can get it close to the hole. And I just feel like I got a good game plan to play this golf course.”
Playing late on the weekend at Pebble is very familiar to Johnson. Two of his three PGA Tour wins have come here in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, both in the last two years. In February, he birdied the final hole to win his second straight title at Pebble.
As many have said this week, the course Johnson finished at 16-under on in February is nothing like the one he has played at 1-under through two rounds.
Old and new.
The past, present and future of golf converged on the 14th tee.
Vijay Singh had a tee in the ground, waiting for the group ahead to clear on the par-5. Davis Love III stood behind him watching, while Johnson took a few slow practice swings with his driver.
The group behind arrived, bringing 21-year-old Rory McIlroy, a rising star. Walking behind him was Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa, all of 18.
Playing with them was the man who got the biggest greeting from the crowd. At 60, Tom Watson was of another generation, but on this day he was the second-best player in his threesome, behind Ishikawa.
“Tom said to me that I will have a good future,” Ishikawa said.
While Watson waited his turn he saw a TV technician stretching off to the side.
“Stiff?” he asked, getting an affirmative response.
“Me too,” Watson said, bending over and stretching some himself.
Low am.
Illinois junior Scott Langley, the NCAA individual champion this year, shot a 2-under 69 and is the low amateur entering the weekend at 2-over.
Langley struggled through his first nine holes Friday and was sitting at 6-over when he suddenly got rolling. Langley made birdies at Nos. 10, 11, 13, 14 and 17. His only blemish on the back nine was a bogey at the 15th.
In the first round, Langley was 5-over on the back nine, including bogeys at two of the holes he birdied a day later.
