Johnson goes off in the last group for Thursday’s opening round, but even the late 2:03 p.m. starting time may not give him enough time to recover.
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World number two Rory McIlroy made a wayward start and slipped to three over but the Northern Irishman also found form over the closing holes to end at level par. He was coming off a season in which he won the U.S. Open for his first major, was voted PGA Tour player of the year for the first time, won the PGA Tour money title and captured the Vardon Trophy for the lowest adjusted scoring average. He said that the back injury that he sustained by falling down three steps at his rental house Wednesday would not let him swing without pain.
His agent, David Winkle at Hambric Sports Management, said Johnson landed “very hard on his lower back”. It’s just so tight I couldn’t get through it. He detailed Thursday that he was in his socks, heading to the garage to move a auto, when he slipped on three steps. But every time down right at impact it would just catch. I just felt like I wouldn’t be able to compete. “I’ve played with him before, but to play Masters week, to play with my dad, that was really cool”.
The wind was so strong that it blew golf balls some 6 feet on the greens as Adam Scott and defending champion Danny Willett were getting ready to putt. I’ve been worked on all morning. “The issue is I just can’t swing”.
Nonetheless, I think it’s his time.
Dustin Johnson has been the talk of golf over the last two months, and that was sure to at least help McIlroy manage the expectations. He was looking to become the second golfer since the 1950s to win four PGA Tour events in a row (Tiger Woods is the other).
At 1 p.m., Johnson stepped onto the tournament practice area and began hitting easy shots with his pitching wedge. “I want to play”, Johnson told The State (Columbia, South Carolina).
“I love playing in the wind, this golf course is fun to play, you got to hit shots and quality golf shots especially in the wind, so the tournament’s far from over”.
McGirt, a 37-year-old American, birdied four holes and had only one bogey. “I’ve got the opportunity now to go back and really create more great memories on the back nine of Augusta, which we’ve had in the past on Sunday”.
“Tatum was on the way home from day care”, Johnson said of his two-year-old son.
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“Obviously my priority and my main focus was my mother, and now that’s kind of evolved and taken care of, and I can start to focus more on the golf side of things”, added Day.
