Dustin Johnson takes lead at Riviera

LOS ANGELES — Dustin Johnson was determined to get off to a good start in the Northern Trust Open, so for the first time, he decided not to drive the 10th green at Riviera and instead laid up with a 4-iron.

He made par, which never hurts. And then he took off.

Johnson birdied three of his next four holes, one of them with a 65-foot putt, and he kept bogeys off his card during a cool, gentle morning for a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead among the early starters.

"Had good vibes going all day, and just hit the ball really good all day long," Johnson said.

Andres Romero had good vibes going for most of the day. The dynamic Argentine had eight birdies to offset a double bogey on the ninth hole when he didn't listen to his caddie. Romero finished with four straight birdies for a 65.

Steve Lowery was another two shots behind at 67, followed by a large group at 68 that included 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa, past Riviera winner Rory Sabbatini, Stephen Ames and Scott Verplank.

Phil Mickelson, who took the Ping Eye2 wedge with square grooves out of his bag this week, was among the late starters.

Hunter Mahan and Fred Couples were among those using the wedge, which is approved under an old legal settlement. Mahan said he never considered anything wrong with a club that was approved under the rules, even after the Mickelson flap last week involving Scott McCarron, who claimed it was "cheating."

Mickelson's reason for using the wedge was to call attention to the USGA's process of changing rules, which he has referred to as "ridiculous." Mahan's reason was different.

"It spins a little bit more," he said.

Even so, it didn't help on the 10th hole, when Mahan went bunker-to-bunker and made double bogey. Heading down the 11th fairway, John Wood, his caddie who found the old Ping wedge, said with a laugh, "If we had V-grooves, we would have had to hit four times instead of three."

The par-4 10th hole is among the most famous in golf, and one of the best tests among short par 4s anywhere in the world. It measured 303 yards for the opening round, with an emphasis on angles more than how far the ball is struck.

Johnson is ample long, but this time hit 4-iron to about 85 yards, a safe wedge to some 18 feet and two putts for par.

"I didn't make birdie, but it was an easy 4," he said. "And I wanted it to be easy."

He made the rest of his round look that way. He was on or around the greens on two of the par 5s, received a gift with the monster putt on No. 12, and the only time he came close to a bogey was at the par-3 fourth, when he went long and chipped to 8 feet.

Romero, coming off such a poor year that he's not eligible for any of the majors, also had an easy time except for the ninth. From a fairway bunker, his caddie wanted him to hit 7-iron short of the green and get up-and-down for par.

"I'm so stubborn, I stayed with the 6-iron," Romero said. "And it buried in the bunker."

He took double bogey, then followed with his burst of birdies at the end. Romero tied for third at Riviera a year ago.

Lowery had a similar lapse, wasting a good start with his double bogey-bogey at the turn. Then, he flew his sand wedge over the 10th green and into a back bunker. But he managed to save par, then followed with four birdies in six holes.

Divots: The field for the Northern Trust Open is 132 players, down from 144 players last year, because of a 30-minute loss of daylight. The tournament is being held two weeks earlier than last year. The Phoenix Open, which moved from early February to the end of February this year, will have its field increased from 132 players to 144 players. The field sizes return to normal when those tournaments resume their regular spots on the schedule. ... One week after his runner-up finish at Torrey Pines, Michael Sim bogeyed his last four holes and opened with a 77.

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