At Friday's LIV Golf Chicago event, Dustin Johnson picked up where he left off a few weeks ago at the LIV Golf Boston event, where he claimed his first title. Shooting an opening round 63, DJ leads Cam Smith by three shots heading into Round 2 on Saturday.
He also helped his team, 4 Aces, to a total of 11 under, putting them in line for what would be their fourth straight team win.
Johnson, who started on the first hole Thursday, came out on 30 and missed only one or two shots during the five hours of play in Round 1.
He stalled a bit late with a lingering 59 chance but was still pleased. His performance, despite playing the last six holes at just one under par.
"I hit the ball well, obviously...it was solid all day," Johnson said. "Hit him very close. I didn't have a lot of long putts, but I did make a lot of putts inside 10 feet. I hit him well today."
When DJ gets hot, this is what he does. He tends to rip off multiple events, no matter where or who he plays against. This was most notably in 2017 when he won three straight tournaments before reaching the Masters before withdrawing from the first Major of the year due to injury.
He was asked after his round on Friday how he was maintaining such a high level of play even though he probably played less competitive golf than ever in his life (Johnson has played only six times since the PGA Championship). in May).
"Right now, I feel like I have my swing in a good rhythm," he said. "For me, as long as I hit a couple of balls every other day, I can keep it there. Right now, I'm hitting well. Fortunately, I keep it."
In addition to Johnson's score, the 4 Aces also accounted for Talor Gooch's 2-under and led the Punch GC team, which featured Cam Smith -6 and Matt Jones -4, by a single stroke going into the second round.
And if Johnson is the best LIV player right now, it's Smith who has been the best LIV player all year, albeit mainly on the PGA Tour and at the major championships. After winning the Tournament of Champions, Players Championship and Open Championship at the Old Course in July, Smith moved to LIV Golf and finished T4 in his first event in Boston behind DJ and two other players.
While Smith doesn't have Johnson's beautiful game for hitting the ball, he has been a better scorer all year. Whether that's enough to overcome a three-shot deficit and the machine-like ball-striking performance DJ has been putting on lately remains to be seen.
Still, Smith has his Punch GC squad in position to finish the mini-race they have. the 4 Aces. he has been and earns his first post-PGA Tour victory at Rich Harvest Farms this weekend.
Regardless of what you think about LIV, the PGA Tour, or the ongoing feud between the two, we can all agree that a Smith-Johnson battle over the weekend would be a treat.
The effortless, imposing game of a two-time Major champion in Johnson taking on the most outstanding player who "has that dog in him" alive today in Smith. A battle for eternity in the fifth LIV event of the year? Probably not, but the golf should be great.
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