Hlas: No electricity from Rory-Jordan-Zach star power

HAVEN, Wis. - Jordan Spieth chipped in from 37 feet for birdie at the 12th hole Thursday at Whistling Straits, and the crowd roared.

'Louder than I expected,” Spieth said, maybe not understanding he's golf's hottest star at the moment.

That was about it for the big sounds you'd expect a gallery to emit when watching a golf threesome that featured the world's No. 1 player in Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 2 player in Spieth, and the man who won the British Open a few weeks earlier, 12th-ranked Zach Johnson.

It wasn't as if there wasn't a massive flock of fans following the last three players to win men's majors from the first tee to the 18th green. And it wasn't as if they weren't responsive and enthusiastic, and amazingly well-behaved given the crowded conditions on a rugged venue that's like a StairMaster for spectators.

'Everyone was respectful and knowledgeable,” Spieth said.

While the featured grouping at the PGA Championship's first round might have produced enough theater for downtown Sheboygan, it wouldn't have played on Broadway.

McIlroy and Spieth shot 1-under-par 71s at Whistling Straits, good scores given how the wind whipped up in the afternoon and those who didn't start play until after the lunch hour got the worse half of the stick.

'I think anything under par this afternoon was a decent score,” McIlroy said.

Johnson wasn't as good as his playing partners. He had a 3-over 75 that would have been ugly had he not holed birdie putts of 14, 23 and 31 feet on the front nine holes.

This wasn't British Open-champion Johnson, or John Deere Classic third-place Johnson, or almost-anytime Johnson.

'I had difficulty everywhere, quite frankly” he said. 'I actually putted pretty good. … That will be the only positive I can come up with today.”

Johnson had 11 shots that landed in rough, five that went in bunkers, and one that reached a water hazard for a penalty. His tee-to-green numbers were well below his norms.

He came to Wisconsin ranked fourth on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy at 72.2 percent, but hit just five of 14 fairways Thursday, and reached the green in regulation on only seven holes.

'There was a lot of struggling with my ball-striking off the tee, in particular,” Johnson said.

'A substantial amount of mistakes that I can recall, about four or five mental mistakes I can easily recall. That's frustrating.”

It left him nine shots behind leader Dustin Johnson, who played in the morning and logged a 66. It's the third-straight major in which he has been the first-round leader, making him the first player since 1958 to hold that distinction. He has yet to win a major.

'Today was pretty easy, I would have to say,” Dustin Johnson said. It helped that the wind didn't start to whip until his score card was signed and verified.

But such is golf, and the McIlroy-Spieth-Zach Johnson group gets the morning start Friday, at 8:05, while the other Johnson has an afternoon round.

'When we were starting today,” Spieth said, 'when we saw 6-under on the board we talked about it and knew that was probably not feasible for us, minus a few breaks. It was a different golf course, and we needed to adjust our expectations because of that.

'Doesn't look like we'll have quite the wind tomorrow morning, so that should help.”

Zach Johnson needs something in the 60s today. He's tied for 86th place, and only the top 70 and ties make the 36-hole cut.

'I've just got to play tomorrow,” he said. 'The cut is irrelevant. My focus tomorrow will just be hitting good shots.”

The low native Iowan is Osage-born Troy Merritt, who had a 72. Merritt won his first PGA Tour event two weeks ago.

Reinbeck native Austin Peters, a club pro in California, shot an 82. Golf is hard.

Comments: mike.hlas@thegazette.com