Coastal Carolina alum Dustin Johnson is back in action Thursday in the first round of the $6.5 million HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, after taking last week’s Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial tour stop off. He is in an interesting international pairing with K.J. Choi of Korea and Sergio Garcia of Spain. The go off the first tee at 8:53 a.m. (Eastern) Thursday and off the 10th tee at 1:38 p.m. in Friday’s second round. A tie for third at the Farmers Insurance Open and runner-up to Nick Watney at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship were among three top-10 finishes in Johnson’s first seven starts this year. In four events since then, he has missed two cuts and hasn’t finished inside the top 35.But Johnson has a good record at the Byron Nelson with a tie for seventh last year and tie for fourth in 2009. Seven of his last eight rounds at the TPC Four Seasons Resort have been in the 60s, so Johnson should take some confidence into the event.
Johnson and Rory Sabbatini are CBS analyst Gary McCord's two picks to win the tournament. Of Johnson, he says: "Drives it longer and straighter than anyone, proven winner and has a good record here -- three times played and two Top 10’s. It’s time to quit falling asleep out there Dustin and start winning on a consistent level."
Television coverage is from 3-6 p.m. for all four rounds, with Thursday and Friday’s coverage on Golf Channel and the weekend rounds on CBS.
