US PGA TOUR REPORT AND SCORES

DUSTIN JOHNSON, JIMMY WALKER 

BACK IN THE PICTURE AT RIVIERA

FROM THE US PGA TOUR
  By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM PACIFIC 

PALISADES, Calif. -- Call it momentum. Confidence, if you'd like.

But Dustin Johnson and Jimmy Walker both have it right now, and they are making the game look pretty darn easy when we all know it's not.
Walker won Sunday at the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, picking up his third US PGA Tour title in just eight starts after winning none of his first 187. 

Dustin Johnson tied for second, one stroke behind the FedExCup leader, after closing with a 66.

Four days later, the positions are reversed with Johnson owning the one-stroke advantage at the Northern Trust Open after another 66 and Walker among 11 players tied for second. Granted, it's only the first round but the way the two are trending, don't be surprised to see them figure prominently in Sunday's finale.

As if their current form isn't enough of a boon, both players have positive vibes at famed Riviera, too. Johnson tied for third in 2010 and fourth in 2012. Walker also shared fourth in 2012, as well as the previous year.
Johnson started strong on Thursday, playing the back nine first and turning in a sizzling 32. Walker, on the other hand, finished with a flourish, making birdie putts of 20 inches, 8 feet and 30 feet, as the afternoon shadows began to lengthen and the poa annua greens crusted up.
"I've been playing pretty good all year, so the game's right where I want it to be," Johnson said. "Coming off a good week last week, I'm definitely feeling good coming in this week and then obviously getting off to a great start today.
"Any score under par out here is a pretty solid round. It's a tough course, but it's right in front of you, so it's just a golf course that I really like."
Walker, for his part, is "still processing it all." He didn't sleep particularly well on Sunday night after the most recent victory -- and it wasn't because his two young boys, Mclain and Beckett, were making too much noise in the family RV.
By Wednesday, though, Walker had caught up and was ready to get back into competition -- particularly at a golf course he loves.
"I was very excited to come this week," Walker said. "I'm always excited to come here. It's a great, old style golf course and I love how the tee boxes are all squared off and green complexes are really nice, and the golf course is in great shape. I like it when it's firm and fast and it always excites me to come here."
And his play speaks for itself.

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TOUR Report
 Highlights
 Thursday Wrap-up
 Projected FedExCup

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  LEADERBOARD

Par 71 Players from USA unless stated

66 Dustin Johnson

67 Robert Garrigus, Francesco Molinari (Italy), Scott Stallings, Charley Hoffman, Matt Jones (Australia), Brian Harman, Blake Adams, Jimmy Walker, Sang-Moon Bae (South Korea), Charlie Beljan.

SELECTED SCORES

69 Lee Westwood (England) (T19)

70 Justin Rose (England), David Lynn (England), Martin Laird (Scotland) (T35)

71 Ernie Els (South Africa), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) (T59)

72 Ian Poulter (England), Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) (T85)

74 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) (T109)

75 Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Russell Knox (Scotland) (T119)

 78 (withdrew later) Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland).

To view all the first-round scores 
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