Playing for the first time since injuring his ankle on Fourth of July weekend, Rory McIlroy is competing.
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While Johnson breezed his way to a 66 in the morning to build a lead over David Lingmerth of Sweden, McIlroy and American favourite Spieth found it tough to make birdies later on in the day.
J.B Holmes, Jason Day, Harris English, Matt Jones, Danny Lee, Russell Henley and Matt Kuchar share third place at four under.
It was a rewarding and timely opening round for Johnson, who five years ago incurred a two-stroke penalty on the final hole of the last PGA Championship to be played here that cost him a spot in a playoff for the title.
“There were a lot of positives to take from today though, the way I hit the ball and the way I hit some putts”, said the 30-year-old from Dusseldorf, who played with Americans Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley in the opening round.
Of the last 29 Majors, there have been 21 different winners with Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth being the only two-time or more Major winners.
There was no joking around after Tiger was unable to convert an 11-footer for birdie on No. 8, just a frustrated 14-time major champion who will have to wait until next year to go for No. 15.
“The good news is I had complete control of the golf ball even with these conditions as they got tougher”, he said, referring to winds that were quiet when he started by gusted to 20-25 miles per hour by the time he finished.
Woods started decently enough Thursday, hitting his first seven greens in regulation (he began at the 10th hole) although he was 1 over par due to a 3-putt at the 14th green. “I just had to remember to hit it hard”.
Woods claimed: “I hit it great today, but I made nothing. It was a little bit deeper on the right side, so I just rolled my right trouser leg up and it was fine”. “I made a couple of silly bogeys, but you’re going to make bogeys out there”.
Another bogey-birdie combination at eight and nine saw McIlroy even at the turn – not before an impressive par save at the par-five fifth from the shallow water of a pond. “I just had no feel at all for the speed (of putts)”.
“I did not have a time frame set for that”, Spieth said of reaching No1.
“And fortunately for us we got out there and got to attack the golf course“.
“It was nice to get that opening tee shot out of the way”, said McIlroy, whose return from a torn ligament couldn’t have come in a brighter spotlight.
“It’s a golf course I like and I played well here (at the US PGA Championship) in 2010″, Johnson told reporters upon reaching the clubhouse.
“The only thing I was trying not to do was get my feet wet”, said McIlroy, who felt he was not to blame for his group being timed for slow play from the 15th.
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“But at the same time, my frustration was only that we were tied for the lead with two holes to go – with one of them being a birdie hole – and we didn’t close it out”.
