(Photo credit score: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images)
Zach Johnson birdied the par-5 18th gap to seize a one-point lead on the Mitsubishi Electric Classic after Friday’s first spherical at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga.
For the primary time, the Mitsubishi Electric Classic is utilizing the Modified Stableford scoring system to encourage aggressive play. Rather than scoring relative to par, factors are awarded per gap — minus-1 for a bogey, zero for par and two for birdie. Eagles are price 5 factors whereas double bogeys are minus-3.
It is the primary time since 2002 that the PGA Tour Champions is utilizing Modified Stableford, in line with the tour.
Johnson didn’t appear to thoughts the change, calling himself ‘a conservatively aggressive man.’ The two-time main champion turned 50 in February and gained his first title on the senior tour in March.
‘There’s alternatives on sure programs, and this may be one in every of them, the place I’m going to push a bit bit extra, I’m going to hit the driving force as an alternative of what have you ever,’ Johnson mentioned. ‘So I feel the fantastic thing about this place is the character. You’ve acquired brief, you have acquired lengthy, you have acquired left, you have acquired proper, you have acquired up, you have acquired down. You might be aggressive on sure holes, you possibly can hit driver lots of locations, you possibly can lay it again in lots of locations. So you have to be dedicated, and it offers you choices.’
He rolled in six birdies with one bogey over his first eight holes. The scoring slowed down on the again 9, however he jumped from +13 to +15 by two-putting the ending par-5.
That put him one level forward of Ben Crane and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee. Tied for fourth at +12 have been Paul Stankowski, Retief Goosen of South Africa and Okay.J. Choi of South Korea. Last 12 months’s champion beneath conventional stroke play, Jerry Kelly, is tied for seventh at +11.
Jaidee managed to card seven birdies with out a bogey.
‘You should make extra factors as a result of … par (is) nothing,’ Jaidee mentioned. ‘That’s why we gameplan to assault the opening. When you hit within the fairway, you might have a brief iron, you attempt to assault the pin. That’s why we do it right now. And good factor to me, I had fairly good iron right now. Putting working right now.’
Crane turned 50 this 12 months like Johnson and completed second finally week’s Senior PGA Championship, his first senior main.
He needed to overcome two bogeys on his spherical Friday however it helped to birdie three of the ultimate 4 holes.
‘Just did not play as nice as I scored, however that is the best way it really works on this format,’ Crane defined. ‘Actually, Retief and I each shot 66 and I had 14 factors and he had 12. Had some bogeys in there that do not price you as a lot. All in all, simply grateful. I actually putted nicely coming down the stretch there, gave myself some alternatives, so only a enjoyable day.’
–Field Level Media